The adventures of a silver necklace
by Askyofskies
Summary: In the midst of the Second Wizarding War, the paths of two, to say the least, dissimilar individuals cross. What starts as a chance encounter between a snatcher and a witch, soon becomes something more complicated and results in a chain of events neither of them would have ever expected to be a part of. Contains some minor swearing and some violence, but nothing too explicit.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Rich, light snowflakes swirled around in the cold winds, covering the rocky ground like a glittering blanket. A tall figure crouched down on a cliff, peering over the edge at a small village in the valley below. Warm light from candlelit rooms shone through the windows, casting a fiery glow on the empty streets. The entire town seemed to be slumbering, allowing the snow to gradually conceal it completely.  
The crouching stranger scanned the rooftops, his green eyes gleaming with greed.  
Two more figures materialized within the blizzard, placing themselves on either sides of the silent observer.  
'Are you certain it is here, Neil?' The one of the left questioned with a deep voice.  
The crouched one let out a muffled chuckle, a gloved hand reaching to remove the scarf that covered the majority of his face.  
'Sceptic 'til the very end, Wallace.' he mumbled with a smirk. 'I _know_ it's there.'  
The man to his right fixed the knitted beanie that hid his red, curly hair before scratching his freckled nose. 'Well then, boss. What are we waitin' for? My toes are probably frozen beyond repair by now.'  
'I agree, Ian. The temperature isn't the most preferable.' Neil nodded, rising slowly.  
He took a hold of the edge of his hood in order to prevent it from falling off during their walk. His tattered, black trenchcoat flapped violently around his ankles as they strode forward along the treacherous road that led them to their goal. The wind whined ominously, constantly changing direction and speed.

Confidently, the three gentlemen strutted into the village. They turned corner after corner, completely unnoticed by the residents. Finally, at the very end of an alley, the trio halted. The house looked identical to the neighbouring ones, with dark windows and a weather-beaten exterior.  
They gave it a quick once-over before sealing the last few steps between themselves and the entrance. The door gave away a faint squeak as it was carelessly flung open, a gush of warmth immediately hitting the men's cold faces.  
Ember glowed in the fireplace, seemingly the only source of light in the otherwise dark livingroom. As they stepped into its dim light, their features became clearer. Neil, with a sharp jawline hidden by a bushy beard, green eyes and a rather sturdy physique, took a step forward. Both of his accomplices were about a head shorter than himself, standing by his side like immovable sentinels. Ian took off his sodden beanie, ruffling his fiercely red hair before wiping the vapour form his round glasses.  
Wallace scratched his stubblecovered chin, looking around the room with an incredulous gaze. A man was sleeping on the worn leather sofa, letting out loud snores that concealed all other noises. Neil sneaked to his side, looking at him gleefully before harshly poking the unknowing fellow on his large nose. Immediately the snoring ceased, as the man flew up with surprising speed, reaching for something on the coffee table that to his great terror wasn't there anymore.  
'I'm afraid I can't let you have that at the moment, Alistair.' Neil said casually, tucking a wand away in his rucksack.  
The man's small eyes widened as he realized who was standing infront of him. 'Wh-what are you doing here?' he stuttered, falling back onto the sofa with a loud thud.  
'Did you honestly believe that hiding in a Siberian village would actually stop me from finding you?' Neil asked with a subtle undertone of annoyance in his otherwise indifferent voice.

Alistair gulped, sweat pearling on his scarred forehead as he cast a terrified glance at the three men. 'Please, I don't have it anymore.' he whimpered upon briefly locking eyes with Ian, who simply huffed jeeringly.  
Something in Neil seemed to snap as soon as the sentence had been uttered. With almost gruesome force, he slapped the man right across his face.  
'Liar!' he bellowed. 'If I were in your shoes, I'd point in the right direction this instant.'  
After a short but intense moment of silence, Alistair dared to speak again, his lips trembling as they parted. 'B- but th-think of our ma-many mi-'  
He was cut off by a swift punch right to his jaw.  
'You left me to die you two-faced coward, so spare me your pleading.' Neil hissed fumingly. 'Now where is it?'  
Eventhough Alistair didn't answer, he gave the location away by casting a fleeting look on the staircase next to the fireplace.  
Wallace let out a gruff chuckle. 'Looks like he's lost his tongue.'  
Neil looked at Ian, giving a hasty nod. 'Take care of him.' he ordered as his red-haired accomplice immediately stepped forward, sitting down next to the terrified man.  
'No problem, boss.' Ian said mischievously, enjoying the painful discomfort his closeness was causing.

Almost running, Neil rushed up the rickety stairs. He was met by a small bedroom, clothes and dirty dishes scattered all over the floor. It stank of stale air and rotting leftovers. Slightly wrinkling his nose, he headed straight for the bedside table. With unexpected tenderness he pulled out its drawer.  
Amongst the many parchments, old quills and miscellaneous rubbish, something glimmered. Eagerly, he pushed the other objects aside. A grin spread across his face as he took up a silver necklace, holding it up against the light of a lone, burning candle on the windowsill. The blue gem attached to the silver chain glistened softly as he twirled it around in his hand. It looked so frail, delicate, yet it felt strong and unyielding as he tugged at it. Finally the necklace was once again in his grasp.

* * *

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's world, not mine!****

So, that's the prologue to this story!  
I hope you enjoyed it and that I haven't forgotten to correct any spellingmistakes or grammatical errors. :)  
This is my very first fanfiction, so I hope I did/will do alright.  
Onwards to chapter 1!


	2. Chapter 1

**A little more than a century later.**

Cassie cast a nervous look over her shoulder as she entered Knockturn Alley. This dark place was the last place in the wizarding world she wanted to visit at the moment. Well, besides Azkaban of course. People passing by eyed her suspiciously, whispering and muttering as they glared at her. It was clear she was not the only one aware of her discomfort. Since the return of The Dark Lord, Knockturn Alley had gone from moderately unpleasant to right down frightening, with people now openly proclaiming their anti-Muggle beliefs. So strange how many changed everything they stood for as soon as the winds began to change. Cassie's thoughts distracted her from the moment, blurring the depressing world around her. However, reality came upon her like a slap across the face, as she walked straight into someone. The sudden impact caused her to loose balance and stumble backwards. A loud laughter ringed in her ears as she hit the ground with a dull thud.  
Grunting, she rubbed her sore head as she opened her eyes to face whoever was enjoying her misery.  
A tall man towered over her. His dark, unkempt hair put up in a loose ponytail. She glimpsed a streak of red in the midst of it. It was clear he had not shaved in a while, brown stubble covering his chin. He wore a rather cheery outfit compared to the sombre environment. Chequered trousers, some kind of vest with a leather jacket on top, and a pair of worn leather boots instead of the usual black set of robes. A wide grin spread across his lips as he in vain tried to regain composure. Once again, that right down evil laughter filled the air as she sat up.  
'It's not funny.' Cassie frowned, removing the dirt from her black coat.  
The man, who she estimated was in his upper twenties, didn't bother helping her up. Instead he continued to laugh at her clumsiness.  
'Your face!' he said as he tried to catch his breath. 'You should've seen it, priceless!'  
'I'm sure it was.' she sighed, standing up on unsteady legs as he finally managed to stop laughing.  
Sensing he probably was not the nicest of men, Cassie began to walk away, determined to forget the embarrassing incident. However, she found herself hindered, a strong hand harshly grabbing her upper arm.

'Not so fast.' the stranger said demandingly as he turned her around to face him. 'I think you owe me an apology.' he chuckled, enjoying her increasing discomfort.  
She tried to get out of his hold, wishing that anyone passing by would care enough to help. But it was Knockturn Alley afterall so what was she expecting?  
'I gave you a good laugh, I think we're even.' Cassie responded stubbornly, glaring at him fiercely.  
He gave some sort of strange half nod, half shrug as he pulled her closer. 'I 'ave te agree, you did. But that doesn't quite suffice.'  
His closeness made her extremely uncomfortable, not to mention annoyed. Who did he think he was? Just casually disregarding someone's personal space as if he owned everything.  
'Yes it does, now let go of me.' she commanded as his free hand took a hold of her other arm.  
'I don't plan on lettin' go 'til you give me a proper apology.' The man persisted, tightening his grip as he grinned.  
Cassiopeia held back her urge to yell at him, her patience reaching its limits. She thought about her wand resting in the back pocket of her jeans, out of reach. Deciding magic was not going to be the answer at the moment, her imagination tried to do its very best to compensate.

'Oh, hello!' she said cheerfully, looking over his shoulder as though greeting a friend. She used this momentary distraction to kick his abdomen as hard as she could, sending him crashing onto the cobblestone street.  
'I cannot believe you actually fell for that!' She laughed victoriously before breaking into a sprint, running through the crowd as fast as possible.  
Witches and wizards jumped out of the way as she rushed past, cursing at her for being so inconsiderate. Cassie ran through a maze of alleys and narrow streets with towering buildings, to the point where she herself felt completely lost.  
Turning her head left and right to get some idea of her whereabouts only increased the confusion. This street was no different than the last one, or the one before that. Just a bunch of old, crooked buildings with dark windows. Above her the sky was darkening fast. Grey clouds clumping together creating a thick, impenetrable lid that pressed against the black rooftops. She looked around, realizing the street was completely empty. An eerie silence crept in as the lost witch wondered whether or not it was safe to head back to her flat yet, considering that the man might still be following her. And in these dark times, who knew how dangerous he could be?  
But after having done such a swift escape from his hold and trying to shake him off by her intense zigzagging through the network of alleyways, the risk of him actually having managed to track her this far was insignificantly small. The adrenalin was still pumping in her veins, boosting her confidence. It almost felt like she could outrun a whole army of chasers.  
A raindrop fell on her freckled nose. Her green eyes looked up towards the menacing sky as the rain began to pour, heavy drops hitting her heart-shaped face like nails.

A hand swiftly covered her mouth, muffling her scream as an arm wrapped tightly around her waist, dragging her into a narrow backstreet.  
'Thought you cold escape me, did you?' a familiar voice hissed into her ear as she was turned around to face her captor.  
She glared ferociously at him as he watched her squirm, a smug grin spreading across his lips. Slowly he drew her closer, enjoying her immense agitation. 'Though I 'ave to admit, that was a rather cheeky stunt you pulled back there, it was not particularly bright. Or polite, for that matter.' he growled, forcing her to look into his grey eyes.  
Cassiopeia snarled as he removed his hand from her mouth and slid it into one of the pockets of her black coat instead.  
'Well, well. What do we 'ave 'ere?' he chuckled ominously, taking out a necklace. 'No offence darlin', but I don't think silver's your colour. I'd say you're more of a gold type o' girl.' the stranger said teasingly, examining the artefact with a childlike curiosity.  
She jerked, trying in every possible way to get out of his harsh hold. 'Give that back!'  
He looked up at her, almost surprised at her intervention as though he had forgotten she was there. With confidence written all over his face, he put it into his own pocket. Out of reach for her to take.  
'That'll have to do for now, I 'ave a meetin' to attend.' the man said cryptically, sealing the last few inches between their faces.  
He looked into her eyes with a piercing gaze as he planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. 'If you want it back, I s'pose you could always try to take it. But then you'll have to catch me first, love.' he whispered into her ear, causing her entire body to shiver out of pure revulsion. Before she could react he disapparated, leaving her there alone in the rain with an empty pocket and an anger boiling beneath her cold skin.

* * *

'Where've you been, tosser ?' Fenrir Greyback's husky voice came growling through the snatcher camp as Scabior appeared by his tent.  
The tension in the air was almost electric, sticking to everything around them. The two men sitting by the open fire looked away as he came closer.  
'Out an' about.' Scabior answered shortly, not bearing to deal with the constantly aggravated werewolf at the moment.  
Greyback roared, shooting him a hostile glare. 'Did you forget about the plan?'  
Scabior snarled, tightening the grip around his wand as he quelled the urge to hex the beast to oblivion. 'Has it managed escaped your thick skull that the plan did not include me?' he asked, glancing at the three hooded figures bound to a nearby tree. 'Besides, that seemed to've worked out quite well without me.'  
Fenrir gritted his teeth as he sniffed the air. 'You reek of female scent.' he hissed roughly. 'You're supposed to stay at the camp if not out snatching.'  
Scabior froze for a split second. 'So I went for a little stroll down Knockturn Alley.' he shrugged indifferently before sliding his hand into his pocket, caressing the silver necklace.  
The werewolf looked as though smoke was about to come out of his ears, his dark eyes widened in anger. 'You're standing guard tonight.' he mumbled under his breath before heading off, kicking one of the captives on the way.

Finally left alone, Scabior sat down by the fire as he played with the necklace in his hand. It shone dimly in the light of the flames as he twirled it between his fingers. A malicious grin spread across his lips as he thought about its owner.

* * *

That's it for chapter one, I hope you liked it! :D


	3. Chapter 2

**Terror in pink**

Black, neatly polished tiles covered every inch of the atrium. People constantly came out of and walked into green flames burning in the many lavish fireplaces along the walls. Journalists interviewed a short, skinny man with a long beard as a flock of posters flew past, landing neatly on a table to their right. There was a strange tension in the atmosphere, everyone constantly stressing from lift to lift. Eventhough the building was the same, the staff looked the same, the overall appearance the same, the Ministry of Magic had changed.  
´Why have you taken me here?' Cassie asked as calmly as possible, annoyed at the two guards holding her harshly around her upper arms.  
Like all the other questions she had asked before, there came no answer, not even a glance in her direction. The guards kept their stern gazes fixed into the distance as if there was only air between them.  
A look of disgust crossed her face at the macabre statue now standing in the middle of the fountain. What looked like Muggles were crushed beneath a giant pillar, on the very top of it a large, gilded M shone brightly with the words: _MAGIS IS MIGHT_ written below.  
The guards halted infront of it as a tall, gangly woman in her middle-ages walked towards them with tediously slow steps. Cassie looked around at all the people passing by, ignoring her as if she didn't exist. Eventhough it wasn't unexpected, the lack of care frightened her. Or perhaps, they were all afraid of the very Ministry they worked for, tagging along just to secure their own safety.

As her scan of the unpleasant place turned her head from right to left and back again, she noticed a familiar face in the otherwise blank crowd. The man who had stolen her necklace.  
What business did someone such as him have at the Ministry?  
He, like everybody else around her except for that skinny woman, hadn't noticed her. Confidently he strutted across the floor. Infront of him walked a huge man with an almost abnormal amount of facial hair. There was something feral about him, like he hadn't visited society in a couple of decades. In his grasp was a young man with mud stained clothing and a large bruise on his left cheek. Forcefully, he was pushed forward by the hairy man as her necklace-thief calmly followed as though he didn't have a care in the world.  
Cassie's upper lip curled into a snarl as she thought about their encounter in Knockturn Alley, wondering what had happened to her necklace. Her fists clenched out of anger, the urge to smack him right across his smug face growing stronger with every obnoxiously easygoing step he took. Her fierce glaring must have had some sort of impact, for he suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning around on the spot.

They locked eyes, a triumphant smirk spreading across his lips. He bowed down with mock courtesy. Her stomach ached with frustration, his taunting gesture immensely provoking.  
'Cassiopeia Gwyneth Parker, daughter to Muggles Andrea and Wilson Parker?' a whiny voice called out, dragging her attention away from the thief.  
The scrawny woman raised an eyebrow, giving her a quick once-over with an arrogant expression on her square face. Cassie inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself down.  
She could feel his grey eyes lingering on her, continuing to infuriate her eventhough she couldn't see him.  
'Yes.' came her unwilling response, as she stared down at her red sneakers.  
'You have a hearing in the courtroom in fifteen minutes with the undersecretary of the Minister of Magic and head of the Muggle-born Registration Committee, Dolores Umbridge.' The woman informed, her brown eyes watching her indifferently as she spoke.  
Cassiopeia looked up, her body suddenly filled with a mixture of shock and fear. Dolores Umbridge, the terror in pink. All of her thoughts suddenly concentrated on that particular woman, the one with an almost sickly sugar-coated exterior and a soul colder than ice that almost gave Voldemort a run for his money.  
'If you would be so kind as to hand over your wand.' The woman said with what she could tell was an incredibly strained attempt to smile, stretching out her hand.  
Cassie jerked her right arm out of the grasp of the guard in order to reach into her pocket.

An awful ruckus caught everyone's attention just as she was about to hand it over.  
'Harry Potter, it's Harry Potter!' A man yelled as he ran across the atrium, striking panic in everybody he passed.  
The two guards aswell as the woman immediately forgot about her, heading off after three teenagers who suddenly came into view, a blond-haired wizard chasing them with his wand drawn.  
Cassie realized the opportunity at hand, she also realized the thief was nowhere to be seen. Both relieved and irritated she went straight to the nearest fireplace.  
She knew she had to find out who he was, soon.

* * *

So, that's it for chapter 2. Not very long, but I still hope you enjoyed it! :)


	4. Chapter 3

**The chase**

'I need to know who he is and where I can find him, John.' Cassie said with a low voice, glaring at the man sitting on the opposite side of the black desk she was currently leaning against.  
John Abbot, a man in her own age with a sharp jaw line and quite an impressive moustache, looked down at his neatly tied shoelaces in order to avoid eye-contact.  
'I'm not allowed to give up such information, Cassie.' he once again tried to explain to his unyielding friend.  
Every few seconds, he cast an anxious glance at the door behind her, wondering if anyone knew of their meeting.  
Cassie let out a disheartened sigh, growing more and more frustrated.  
'John, please.' she begged whispering, watching his every move.  
He looked into her eyes with a worried expression on his face. 'If the Ministry found out you were here they'd, they'd capture you, Cass. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they did. And if they found out about what I told you, they'd probably capture me aswell. I have a family, for Merlin's sake!'  
'The Ministry's tough, I have to admit that. But they're not too clever.' she mumbled under her breath, finally managing to lock eyes with him. 'I know you have all the information I need, John. Please.'  
He looked at her solemnly, wishing they weren't having this blasted conversation. The war had changed everything. He wanted to give her the information, he really did but she was a Muggle-born. A Muggle-born visiting him at his office at the Ministry no less, the very Ministry that captured every Muggle-born or enemy to Voldemort they could get their hands on, not to mention they had already managed to catch her once. The Ministry who employed the services of the very man she was trying to find.  
A man who wouldn't hesitate the slightest of snatching her if he had the chance. He shivered slightly as he thought about the tall snatcher. So many times he had seen him walk through the doors of the Ministry, dragging Muggle-born witches and wizards along by their collars, just for the sake of gallions. 'I'm only going to say this once Cassie.' John began after a heated silence. 'He goes by the name of Scabior, a  
snatcher in a gang led by a werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. They move around a lot so I cannot give you a specific location but I know there's a snatcher camp somewhere in the Forest of Dean.'  
Cassie smiled widely, rushing around the desk to give him a hasty embrace.  
'Thank you, John.' she laughed. 'And say hi to Marge and the kids for me!'  
John sighed, reluctantly watching his friend walk to the door. 'For your own sake Cassie, I hope you don't find him.' he said gravely as she opened it.

* * *

Cassie's breath fogged up infront of her pale face as she crawled a little further towards the camp. The sound of her clothing dragging against the cold ground filled her ears as she inched closer. With her wand at the ready she aimed at herself, casting a muffling spell to quell her noises. Eagerly she scanned the camp for any signs of Scabior or her necklace. To her great discouragement however, the only visible thing alive was a man tied to a tree with bruises and cuts all over his stripped body.  
The horrid sight made her quench. What had he done to deserve such cruelty?  
There was a new point on her agenda. First, get the necklace, then rescue the captive, and then escape as swiftly as possible.  
'Sure, sounds easy enough. Why don't you kidnap Greyback while you're at it?' Cassie muttered under her breath, feeling a sudden wave of doubt.  
With that, she decided now was the time to act. If she was going to waltz into an enemy camp, she might as well do it quickly.  
Swiftly she crawled to the side of the nearest tent, leaning lightly against its wall as she stole a quick look at the area. Still, nobody besides the captive man was visible. He wasn't conscious. The situation seemed too easy to be legit. Feeling her heart pound against her chest, Cassie ventured out of her hiding place and headed into the tent without as much as a glance over her shoulder.  
She frowned as she entered, a fowl stench reaching her nose. Miscellaneous items were scattered across the ground. Clothes, plates, jewellery, empty bottles of fire whiskey and disturbingly enough, a pile of bones. Cassie gulped, once again realizing the gravity of the situation as she stepped over a dried bloodstain. This had to be Fenrir Greyback's dwellings. After doing a quick overview of the macabre tent, she decided to move on. Either her necklace was in Scabior's tent, or in his pocket.

As her slightly shaking hand reached for the cloth covering the entrance, the sound of footsteps caused her to withdraw. Instantly she crouched down, trying to conceal herself as much as possible.  
'Hurry up, we need to ship these three to the ministry.' A gruff, male voice grunted, sounding as though the man it belonged to was carrying something rather heavy.  
'We've been working for days on end trying to catch these bloody Mudbloods, I'd say we deserve a bit of fun first.' Another, much lighter and annoyingly squeaky male voice retorted as something was thrown onto the ground.  
Cassie covered her mouth to silence herself as the sound of a woman's scream filled the air. A watery film filled her eyes when the men laughed at the sound. She blinked, causing warm tears to stream down her cheeks.  
'Please, please don't hurt her!' Another man pleaded crying as another scream pierced the laughter.  
Cassie drew her legs towards her chest, her entire body trembling as she closed her eyes.  
'Jones, tell that bloody bastard to shut up or he'll end up like his girlfriend! And Scabior, count out the coin.' The gruff male voice, who she guessed was Fenrir, growled as the woman continued to beg for mercy.  
Suddenly he grew quiet, sniffing the air. 'Hold on.' The werewolf mumbled, the others quieting down as he continued to smell. 'There's someone else here. A female.' he mused, his footsteps getting louder.  
Cassie tightened the grip around her wand, slowly standing up. She was not going to die at the hands of Fenrir Greyback and his snatchers. As his footsteps closed in even more, she could hear his deep breaths against the cloth. Without hesitation Cassie ran out of the tent, successfully dodging Fenrir's attack by mere inches.

She pointed her wand at the other snatcher running towards her, his curse passing just over her head.  
'_Expelliarmus_!' she yelled, sending his wand flying through the air before breaking in half against a rock.  
Seconds later his stiffened body fell helplessly to the ground after another blast from her wand. Without being able to aim properly, she cast a blast spell at the shackles around the woman's legs before rushing behind the tent at the opposite side of the camp. It felt as though her heart was going to pound right out of her chest as she appeared on the other side again, Fenrir running towards her at full speed.  
Cassie flicked her wand. The spell she cast hit the werewolf with such force it caused him to lift from the ground and throw him hard against a tree, the impact creating a loud crashing noise.  
She managed to catch a glimpse of the man and the woman, who were running into the dense forest with two snatchers close behind but the third captive, the man who had been tied to the tree by the fire was nowhere to be seen, nor was Scabior.  
It seemed as though it was down to her and Greyback, not the outcome she had hoped for. He was much quicker, and much stronger. Once he'd get a hold of her, she would have no chance of escape.  
With that conclusion Cassie headed into the forest, tree branches scraping against her body as she ran.

'Oh, you'll pay for this you little slag!' he roared somewhere behind her.  
Her lungs ached, begging her to rest. She swallowed what little saliva she had left to wet her hoarse throat, the taste of blood filling her mouth.  
Out of nowhere, Fenrir Greyback jumped out infront of her with a victorious grin on his fowl face.  
'_Incarcerous_!' Cassie yelled with the last of her energy, ropes binding themselves around his large frame.  
He fell to the ground, twitching immensely as the ropes tightened around him.  
Leaving nothing to chance, she decided to keep running, not having the strength to apparate. Besides, those ropes wouldn't be able to hold him forever.  
Feeling another rush of adrenalin seep throughout her exhausted limbs, she managed to increase her pace. The events at the snatcher camp replayed time and time again in Cassie's mind as she thought about the captive Muggle-borns. Where were they now? Had they managed to escape?

The dark firs towered over her, blocking any light from guiding her path. A thick fog slowly rolled in, enshrouding her in a milky, impenetrable mist. She could feel her knees shake, her legs at the verge of collapsing but she had to keep going.  
A twig broke somewhere close, causing her to once more raise her wand to defend herself with whatever stamina she had left.  
'Just show yourself already!' Cassie yelled with a broken voice, staring into the mist as a bright light erupted from the tip of her wand.  
The lumos charm didn't have the desired effect however as it only enhanced the fog, hindering her vision even more.  
Someone lunged at her, knocking her to the ground, the attacker's strong arms wrapping around her waist. The world around them warped into nothingness as the location changed and she along with her foe landed with a loud thud on the floor of what appeared to be a small cottage.

She broke free from the hold, hoisting herself up in a sitting position before rising to her feet to face whoever it was.  
A panting Scabior stood infront of her, staring intensely at her as she reached for her wand. A new wave of panic flushed over her upon realizing that it was no longer there.  
Anxiously Cassie looked around the dingy cottage, momentarily fixing her eyes on a rip in the floral wallpaper. She took a step backwards, expecting a curse to hit her any second. She closed her eyes, trying to take deep breaths as she awaited the blow. There was a loud cracking noise that caused her body to momentarily freeze as she braced herself for whatever spell he had cast. But nothing happened.  
Relieved yet terrified at the same time, the witch slowly opened her eyes again to face him and find out why he had yet to attack her. However, she found herself facing nothing more than an empty, dustcovered bookshelf and a pair of old boots.

* * *

Scabior had returned to the spot in the forest where they had apparated, immediately searching the ground for Cassiopeia's wand in the dim, early morning light. He lifted branches and bowed down to check by the roots. Finally, his hunt paid off as he found a somewhat bended wooden stick with intricate carvings on the handle, almost completely buried into the soil. Quickly he picked it up, giving it a brief exam before placing it in the front pocket of his chequered trousers as he headed back to the camp. A lone crow watched him from one of the many branches above before flapping its wings as it let out a loud cackle and flew away. He watched it disappear into the mist, the recent events replaying in his mind.  
He had absolutely no idea why on earth they had apparated in the first place, or why they had arrived at a shabby old cottage in the middle of nowhere. But most of all, he wondered why he hadn't stunned her and brought her back to Greyback.

His black leather boots hit the leaf-covered ground with dull thumps as the first tent became visible. Even at his current distance, he could hear Fenrir taking out his rage on some poor tree. Scabior sighed, realizing there was no point in dragging the inevitable confrontation out longer than necessary.  
'Oi, you scabby dog!' He began as he entered the camp, the werewolf instantly turning around to face him with a vicious snarl on his face. 'Give the tree some rest will you? You're not a bloody woodcutter.'  
Fenrir growled, backing away from the butchered trunk. 'Did you find her?' he roared, obviously more than aggravated by her escape.  
Scabior hesitated to answer, but then again, he knew exactly what he needed to say. 'Yes I did.' he replied confidently, striding closer to the infuriated man.  
Fenrir shrugged. 'Well then, where is the damned woman?'  
The snatcher looked into the eyes of his leader with a hint of a grin playing on his lips. 'She's dead.' he whispered, watching Greyback's every move.  
Fenrir blinked, jerking his head back slightly in sheer surprise. 'Dead?'  
'Dead.' Scabior repeated assuring, knowing the werewolf wasn't the most difficult man to convince.  
Suddenly he felt a hand around his throat as he got pinned against the massacred stem. 'She was supposed to be brought back here alive so that I could punish her myself.' Fenrir growled, loosening his grip slightly to enable the gasping snatcher to answer.  
Scabior inhaled deeply, glaring intensely at the werewolf as he spoke. 'The situation got out of hand, I 'ad t'kill 'er!'  
Fenrir let him go, backing away a few steps. 'If that's the case then where's her body?'  
'I killed 'er with the incendio curse, whatever was left of 'er afterwards I discarded. 'Ere's her wand.' Scabior explained calmly after catching his breath, taking her wand from his pocket.  
There was a long moment of silence as Fenrir examined it.  
'I didn't think you had it in you.' he finally muttered with his husky voice, withdrawing to his tent.

Rays of sunlight finally managed to break through the barrier of treetops, scattering light upon the snatcher camp. Scabior looked at the wand in his hand, wondering whether its owner was still in the cottage. Unlikely, since she didn't seem to be the lingering kind. He let out a faint chuckle as he once again put away in his pocket. The stubborn witch was too much fun to simply snatch and bring to the Ministry. Now he had both her necklace and her wand, probably making another run-in inevitable.


	5. Chapter 4

**The battle of Hogwarts**

'Wake up, arse!' Fenrir Greyback growled angrily, hitting the sleeping man laying by his feet right across the back of his head.  
Scabior cursed at the rude awakening and the pain that followed as he tiredly stumbled out of the bedroll he had slept on. Wasting no time, he hastily grabbed his wand from the messy ground and hurried out of the tent to avoid another clashing with the werewolf's clenched fists. The snatcher rubbed his eyes, letting out a big yawn as he joined the rest of the group by the campfire. Since people always came and went it was impossible to know the exact number of snatchers at Fenrir's command, but at the moment he counted it to a total number of four. Unusually few, and all of them strangers to him.  
They all had their eyes locked at Fenrir, who currently paced back and forth eagerly as his intense gaze swept over the group.  
'It's time. Voldemort's marching on Hogwarts.' He said with his husky voice, a foul grin spreading across his lips. 'Tonight.'  
It was easy to tell the werewolf was itching for the fight, the very air around him seeming to ooze of the lust for blood.  
Scabior faintly raised his eyebrow. Attacking people with claws and teeth wasn't really his cup of tea. With a wand however, the possibilities were endless. Oh, the number of hexes and spells that could be cast on some poor, unsuspecting soul.  
'We're supposed to march with the other snatchers, and here's the portkey that'll take us there.' Fenrir explained shortly, looking intensely at an old, leather glove by the campfire.  
There was a long moment of silence as the snatchers stared at their leader, awaiting his next move.  
'Well what you waitin' for, ugly?' Scabior suddenly asked, growing impatient.  
Fenrir Greyback halted abruptly in his quick pacing, snarling at him.  
'Let's go.' he muttered under his breath, immensely irritated by Scabior's comment.

* * *

A cold, spring wind blew past, thick clouds covering the night sky as Cassie reached a darkened Hogwarts. Instinctively she pulled the hood of her marine sweatshirt over her head eventhough it would most likely fall off as soon as she moved.  
A jolt of fear ran through her body as she watched a collection of white blasts shoot towards the heavens from the courtyards around the school. Together they built an invisible globe around Hogwarts, blending together like water drops on a tilting surface. She didn't want to believe it, that it was actually happening. After staring at the surreal sight, the witch sighed as she wondered what on earth she had actually hoped to achieve in the inevitable battle without a wand.  
As she searched the grounds for a safe place to land, she noticed Voldemort an his army standing on a cliff like hill, looking down at the school. Cassie leaned forward, forcing her broomstick to accelerate in speed.  
Dementors hovered around her like a sea of ghosts, frost beginning to cover the handle of the broom as she passed them as quickly and silently as possible. Despite her attempt at utmost discretion, a few of the ghastly creatures noticed her presence.  
They immediately chased after her as she declined in altitude. Fear stroke again as they closed in. If she had had her wand with her the dementors would prove a minor problem but without it, they were threatening to say the least. Her heart beat faster as they gained momentum, their raspy breaths filling the crisp air.

A sudden hopelessness came upon her, slowing her down as she began to doubt herself. What good would it do if she against all odds were to survive the Dementors? Once she reached Hogwarts, she would get killed almost instantly anyway.  
Cassie shook her head, determined not to get her pursuers' presence get to her. She was not going to let the dementors get to her. Especially not on the eve of a battle that would probably determine the fate of the world as they knew it. Without her wand, wherever it was, she would have to chase them away. The only plan that popped into her stressed mind was to try and shake them off by zigzagging through the dense woods.  
Instantly she leaned forward yet again, her feet nearly scraping against the uneven ground a couple of seconds later.

The forest had grown uncomfortably dense and dark, unwilling to let her venture any further. Fortunately, it seemed equally impenetrable to the dementors who were no longer following the panting witch. Cassie slowed down, the darkness closing in around her. Her heart sank as she realized she had no idea where she was. She had travelled so far into the forest that she could barely see through the gaps between the thick tree trunks, let alone fly between them without a scratch. She looked to her left, something instinctively telling her that it was the way out. Or perhaps it was just the sense of urgency and finality of the evening that had made her pick a random direction for the sake of picking one. She accelerated, soaring through the woods like there was no tomorrow. Which, there might not be if Voldemort were to win the battle. An rush of adrenalin ran through her veins by the mere thought of losing.  
Eventually the forest seemed to become more and more sparse, the trees growing a little further from eachother by the second. She could glimpse the tall towers of Hogwarts in the distance.  
The membrane of protection wards had begun to crumble, small pieces of it falling to the ground like sparks of a fire. Her stomach ached as she watched, thoughts of the possible outcome racing through her somewhat disoriented mind.

A few moments later, she found herself flying over another mass of people. Most of them wore ragged and dirty clothing in a depressing combo of black and grey that perfectly matched the surrounding scenery. They appeared to be waiting for something, most likely for the wards to dissolve entirely. The crowd ended a few feet away from the wooden bridge she had crossed so many times during her days as a hufflepuff. It pained her having to see it, yet again reminding her of the severity of the situation.  
Cassie stopped abruptly in her journey towards the school as she laid her eyes on the person standing nearest the bridge. It was him, the snatcher who had stolen her necklace. Scabior.

* * *

A horrid battlecry spread throughout the crowd as they rushed forward upon the fall of the ward. He ran across the bridge, casting numerous of spells at someone she couldn't identify. It was a teenage boy, that was for sure. At the middle of the journey across, the boy flicked his wand, a bright spark emerging from the tip of it.  
The spark stuck to one of the wooden pillars, setting off a chain of explosions. Cassiopeia watched with widened eyes as the bridge fell into the seemingly bottomless ravine below, section by section. She knew Scabior wouldn't be able to make it in time. She knew he would fall to his death along with those at his side any second.  
Her consciousness argued violently with her opinions as the last section before the one he was currently running on burst into flames and collapsed. He was selfish, crude and obnoxious, and aside his annoying personality traits he had done so many terrible things. But her mind quickly replayed the time he had saved her from the hands of Fenrir. He had saved her life, now it was her duty to return the favour. Besides, if she didn't she would drag herself down to the level of him and the likes of him which was something she would not allow. And he still had the necklace.

Cassie dived with her broomstick at an alarming speed as Scabior fell through the air, pieces of burning wood falling around him. Confidently she held out her hand, grabbing the collar of his leather jacket, the sudden extra weight causing the broomstick to sway immensely. The action enabled him to get a hold of the its shaft as she concentrated on trying to keep them airborne.  
'Thanks fo' the rescue love, but this ain't working too well!' He yelled as the broomstick shook violently, unable to adjust to the uneven weight.  
'If you would prefer to keep falling, I can let go anytime!' she snapped as they continued to drop in altitude.  
In a last attempt to keep them alive, Cassie jerked the broomstick upwards with all the strength she could muster, somehow managing to get it above ground level.

With a loud thud they crashed onto the rocky ground somewhere to the west of the school. They rolled out of eachother's grasp by the sheer force of the unsmooth landing. The broomstick landed a few of feet away, stopped in its rolling by the thick root of a tree.  
'Why'd you save me?' Scabior grunted as they stood up, rubbing his aching head.  
A grave expression crossed her face as they locked eyes. 'I owed you one. Besides, if anyone should kill you it ought to be me and not an exploding bridge. And you still have my necklace.' she answered casually. 'Why are you on his side anyway?'  
He swallowed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, observing her movements as she observed his. 'Because I'm a snatcher, it's what I do. Besides, the regular job market ain't exactly open for someone like me.'  
Cassie snarled, disappointed by his plain answer.  
'If your… occupation is all you are, then you have my pity.' she said curtly, proceeding towards the only available mean of transportation.  
Scabior followed close behind, watching her pick it up as he opened his mouth to speak.  
'Where are you goin'?' he asked as she swiftly mounted the rickety broomstick, wondering how on earth he was going to get anywhere near Hogwarts without it.  
'Where do you think I'm going, snatcher?' she snapped, glaring at him menacingly.  
He ignored her obvious warnings to back off, taking a hold of her upper arm to prevent her from kicking off.  
The action sent her over the edge, her patience running out. Immediately she raised her fist, punching him right across his smug face as she growled. 'For the hundredth time, let go of me Scabior!'  
'Not without me you're goin'.' He muttered angrily, ignoring his most likely broken nose, and the blood now streaming out of his nostrils.  
'I don't care what you want, you're not coming.' Cassie refused. 'I will not give you a ride just so you can enjoy the feeling of hurting innocent people, or whatever sort of twisted pleasure you get from being on Voldemort's side.'  
The snatcher scuffed, annoyed by the strands of her blond hair that persisted on falling infront on her face. Stubbornly he drew them behind her ear, watching her wince at the action.  
'I'm not exactly going to walk back to the battle, so either we both go by broomstick or I can just take it from you an' go alone. Choice's yours.' he persisted, tightening his grip.  
Cassie scowled, not knowing how much longer she could stand the man. 'Or I could just leave you right here in the middle of nowhere you rude, ignorant, selfish, immoral, evil, unkempt baboon!' she yelled, sick of his constant upper hold.  
Scabior blinked, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected ending to her insult.  
'Listen, I've got your wand aswell as your precious necklace so I suggest you let me go with you on this suicide mission for now.' he hissed, raising his own wand to her face as if to prove a point.  
Frowning at the stick of wood pressing against her freckled nose, Cassie realized her disadvantage.  
'If you even as much as point your wand at someone who doesn't deserve it, you'll hit the ground before you even know you're falling.' the infuriated witch warned as he threw his leg over the broomstick, his arms wrapping around her waist to her great discomfort.

They reached a devastated Hogwarts within a couple of minutes, Cassie swiftly steering them through the maze of towers, fires and duellers. A Death Eater chased after them, enshrouded in the signature mist of black smoke. With a grin on spreading across her lips she tried to shake her off by delving straight down, right into the midst of the battle. If there was one thing she was good at, it was flying a broomstick.  
A giant swung its enormous wooden club towards them as they passed, their feet mere inches from touching the rabble on the ground. The Death Eater however, still managed to continue her pursue as Cassie once again steered upwards.

As they flew over one of the many burning rooftops Scabior looked back, aiming steadily at their annoying chaser. A blue light emerged from the tip of his wand, heading towards the woman like a projectile. The impact froze her mid air, her motionless body instantly falling down like a rock. Afterwards he turned the wand against his injured nose, muttering '_episkey_'.  
He looked at Cassie's blonde hair, winching as the spell fixed his nose. She certainly packed a punch.

Deciding an airborne attack might not be the best way to battle their enemies, Cassie steered the broomstick sharply to her left. After somehow dodging the array of obstacles in their path, she managed to make a surprisingly smooth landing upon entering the school through a window at the bottom of a tower. Scabior immediately jumped off, wand at the ready as two men with black, dirt-stained cloaks noticed their presence. They instantly darted towards them, wasting no time in postponing the inevitable duel.  
Cassie watched the snatcher run across the corridor, constantly dodging their attacks and retaliating as best he could. One of the two foes, a younger man with strangely coloured hair and thin lips hit the floor, pus-filled blasters covering his entire body as he screamed out in pain.  
After briefly staring at the macabre sight, she decided it might be best not to loose sight of Scabior, breaking into a sprint in order to catch up to him. The second man aimed his wand at her with a grim expression spreading across his face.  
'_Crucio_!' he spat angrily, a blast of red shooting towards her.  
Just as the words left his mouth, Scabior raised his own wand and managed to block the curse by reversing it back at its caster.  
As the man fell to the ground the snatcher hastily took something out of one of the pockets of his jacket, throwing it to the speechless witch beside him.  
'You might need this.' he said gravely, not feeling particularly keen to have to watch her back for the entire fight.  
Cassie inspected the wooden stick in her hand, an expression of mischief crossing her face as she realized she had finally gotten her wand back. With newfound confidence she flicked it at the man laying on the ground, watching his teeth grow at an alarming rate with a satisfied smile on her face.

A horde of screaming students came running towards them as they entered a long corridor. Complete chaos ensued as they clashed, elbows and fists frequently colliding with heads and backs. A crying girl ran up to Cassie, pulling her in to a slightly suffocating and frantic embrace.  
'Are you an auror?' she asked between her snivels as they locked eyes. 'P- please, help me find my brother. I don't know where he is!'  
Cassie blinked, wondering how on earth anyone would mistake her for an auror. But then again, considering the circumstances, it seemed much more logical than it normally would have. She softly patted the girl on the top of her hair as she scanned the now empty hallway for any sign of Scabior, but he was nowhere to be seen.  
'N-no. I'm not an auror.' she said with a low voice as she returned her attention to the girl. 'But I'll help you find your brother. I'm sure he's still alive.'  
The girl dried her tears, a beaming smile crossing her face. 'Thank you!'  
They let go of eachother as what sounded like an explosion filled their ears. Cassie reached out her hand, trying to appear as calm and trustworthy as possible. 'Come on.'

* * *

After having lost sight of eachother in the midst of the battle, Scabior and Cassie finally spotted eachother again after joining the rest of the survivors at the courtyard. His face was smeared with soot and dried blood, his hair looking even messier than before. She wondered what had happened to him as she briefly observed his pensive expression.  
Voldemort and his remaining allies had now marched across the bridge. Hagrid was walking in the thick of it, held in place by ropes around his neck and body, raising above the others like a mountain among stones as the army spread out on the other side of the square. In his arms he carried someone. The limp, motionless body of a young man. Voldemort strode forward triumphantly, holding out his arms as he smiled eerily.  
**"Harry Potter is dead!"** He proclaimed victoriously, his voice echoing across the area.  
A red-haired girl ran towards him, screaming as a man wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from continuing.  
Voldemort took a few steps forward as he spoke, silencing them with at the flick of his wand.  
Cassie twitched at the frightening scene and instinctively took a hold of Scabior's wrist, pulling him closer.

The snatcher jerked faintly at the unexpected move and instantly turned towards her with a quiestioning look on his face. This sudden closeness was the least he had expected her to do, but with The Dark Lord himself now boasting about his victory, he guessed the action wasn't that strange afterall. He once again turned his attention to the scene playing out infront of them, not bothering to push her away.  
The teenager whom he had chased across the bridge, carried a shabby looking hat in his right hand and yelled at the dark lord as he strode forward. All of the sudden he reached into the hat and pulled out a sword.  
As soon as it appeared, the young man laying in Hagrid's arms returned to life, jumping out of the halfgiant's hold as everyone gasped. Flames erupted from his wand, hitting the snake at Voldemort's feet as well as a couple of Death Eaters before he ran off, chased by Voldemort. Some of the Dark Lord's allies fled the courtyard as the battle recommenced.

Cassie immediately let go of Scabior's wrist, following two Death Eaters into the school. The snatcher was quick to go after, catching up with her in a matter of seconds as spells exploded around them like fireworks.  
They followed their targets into the great hall where most of the battle seemed to be taking place. Everywhere the remaining allies of Voldemort collided with aurors, students and teachers. Explosions, death and destruction everywhere. Cassie lunged at her target after deflecting a series of hexes.  
'Oh common, don't you have anything else up your sleeve?' she asked fumingly, tired of the woman constantly trying to hit her with the killing curse.  
The woman, approximately around her 40's, with a quite distinctive nose and black hair aimed at her once more. This time a blast of red shot from the wand, forcing Cassiopeia to cast yet another protection spell.  
A man who looked like a typical snatcher came flying through the air between them, colliding with the stone wall with a loud, most likely bone-breaking crash.  
As soon as he had fallen to the ground the woman recommenced her attack, lunging at her opponent with impressive force. Blast after blast was deflected by the constantly backing Cassie, who desperately tried to come up with some sort of plan.  
She caught the glimpse of a long table next to her persistent rival, deciding it would have to suffice.  
'_Reducto_!' she yelled fiercely, pointing her wand at it.  
The table immediately exploded, a series of wooden splinters hitting the woman. Realizing the duel finally had reached its end Cassie ran through the maze of battling forces, ducking spells from every direction.

A familiar face suddenly appeared infront of her. Eventhough Scabior looked exhausted, a pleased smirk played on his lips as he cast a leg-locking hex at an unsuspecting woman who had been duelling a student.  
''Ello there, sunshine.' he mumbled as he noticed her, concentrated on the two men now running towards him.  
Cassie cast a quick look over her shoulder, noticing a Death Eater aiming at her as he closed in. As the first hex flew through the air, the space between herself and the her necklace thief became smaller.  
'Back to back?' she suddenly suggested, flicking her wand at her new opponent.  
There came no answer, but she guessed he agreed to it as she felt his back against her own. The strategy proved most useful as it took away the need of constantly having to look back over one's shoulder. This enabled her to focus solely on her opponent, who's cloak she had managed to set on fire.

'The Dark Lord has fallen!' Someone suddenly yelled with a broken voice somewhere in the background. 'Voldemort's defeated!'  
A silence swept over the survivors as the message sunk in and the dust of the battle settled. There was no cheering or laughter, no immediate celebrating. Instead people began to tend to the wounded and the loved ones lost.  
Cassie watched as a woman bent down to pick up a young boy with a badly injured leg. She couldn't wrap her head around what was actually happening. It was as if the scene playing out around her was a mere act and she the passive observer. It didn't feel as though she had just fought a number of enemies to decide the fate of the wizarding world. Cassie turned around, realizing Scabior was no longer behind her. After scanning the area, she noticed him just as he hurried out the door. A new wave of energy ran through her body, although she wasn't sure where it had come from.  
Determinedly, she ran after him. This time he wasn't going to get away.

* * *

Well, this was a rather long chapter. Much longer than I had originally planned it to be, but alas. I hope you enjoy it and that there aren't too many errors in there. xD

As for Voldemort's only line, I wrote it in bold letters as I took it straight from the movie so it's not my own so to say. On to the next chapter, then!


	6. Chapter 5

**Change**

Scabior upped his pace as he headed down the stairs to the boathouse, not really paying attention to where he was going. He had to get away as quickly as possible. It was just a matter of time before someone spotted him, and when they did, something told him that they wouldn't exactly greet him with a smile.

Gentle rays of sunlight peered through the clouds as if trying to hide any signs of battle by drawing all gazes towards a beautiful sky instead. Cassie however, neglected to notice, too concentrated on not letting the snatcher get away. She cursed under her breath, uncertain whether he had yet to become aware of her presence or if he was simply ignoring her sturdy footsteps.  
By the time they reached the boathouse she had managed to catch up on him enough to touch him. Without thinking about tactics she lunged forward, jumping onto the unsuspecting man like a predator.  
'Don't you dare run away!' she roared, harshly wrapping her arms around his body.  
With a loud crash they landed on the wooden deck, mere inches from rolling off the edge.  
'Are you mad?' he asked as they struggled to overpower one another, glaring at her with wide eyes as though she was completely out of her mind.  
'Give it back!' she hissed, trying to reach into the pocket of his jacket as they continued to tussle around on the narrow deck.  
Suddenly she could feel herself getting drawn into several directions as everything around them went black. Her body was squished together and tugged at, creating an unpleasant feeling of getting warped. She closed her eyes, losing the ability to focus on what was going on. She knew they were appariting, but since they hadn't exactly agreed on when and where, the usual feeling was worsened severely.  
However, the uncomfortable experience quickly came to an abrupt end as they fell back on solid ground again. Cassie's limp body rapidly rolled off Scabior's, landing softly in a midst of tall grass.

He gradually opened his eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight. He wasn't sure how it had happened, or why it had even worked but somehow he had managed to apparate during a fight, along with his opponent without getting torn to pieces.  
The sun warmed Scabior's tired body, giving it some much needed energy after the ordeal.  
Slowly he turned his head to try and locate the crazy woman. An faint sting ran through him as he laid eyes on her motionless body next to him.  
'Oi!' the snatcher called out indifferently as he drew his wand, expecting her to get up and fight.  
However, there came no reaction at all. Instead her eyes were closed as if she was sound asleep, the fingers of her right hand simply resting on her wand.  
'Get up.' he said with a low voice as he hoisted himself up into a sitting position, watching her attentively.  
'Open your eyes and finish what you started, bloody idiot.' Scabior muttered sternly before dragging her lifeless torso up in his lap.  
It wasn't until he looked around to find something, anything that might help him figure out what to do, that he realized where they had apparated to.  
The old cottage on the meadow.  
A sudden, raspy intake of breath caused him to once again turn his attention to her. Cassie blinked slowly, barely opening her eyes before closing them again.  
'You bloody tosspot.' she muttered frailly, an angry expression crossing her face for a split second.  
He heaved a sigh of relief, grinning faintly at her comment. ''Ere's the girl I know.' he said calmly, watching her open her eyes again.  
She took a weak hold of her wand, pushing herself away from him. On unsteady legs the witch slowly stood up as clumsily as a newborn foal, no coordination what so ever. Scabior found himself incapable of doing anything other than watching. Cassie shook her head as if attempting to be able to focus more properly.  
She looked at him with a piercing gaze, aiming her wand at his chest. Despite her grave, almost hostile expression he couldn't bring himself to raise his own wand. She simply seemed to weak even utter a spell.

'Give me the necklace, and I won't fight you.' Cassie mumbled stubbornly, taking a small step forward.  
The movement nearly caused her to loose balance, her throbbing head almost making her nauseous to the point of vomiting. But despite her aching body's begging for sleep and rest, she persisted on standing up. Her trembling hand tightened the grip around her wand as they looked at eachother in complete silence.  
It appeared her persistence amused him, as he grinned mischievously when she despite her condition aimed at him.  
'Although your spirit is admirable I suggest you stand down.' Scabior said with a strange undertone in his otherwise carefree voice.  
She couldn't determine whether it was mockery or just a hint of a laughter.  
'I don't care what you suggest, I want to take back what you stole from and then I want to leave. Don't pretend like you actually care.' Cassie retorted, the last part of the sentence more tricky to utter than it should have been.

Scabior stared blankly into her watery, green eyes as her wand continued to press against him. Eventhough she had every reason to loathe him, her uttering had for some reason taken him by surprise. A tense silence fell upon them, a gust of wind whining as it passed.  
Scabior shrugged. 'Fine, I guess I owe it to ye for rescuin' my poor soul.' he mumbled mundanely, reaching into his pocket to give her the jewellery she demanded.  
The blue gem landed in her hand silently, followed by the quiet rustle of the silver chain.

Cassie smiled as she lifted her hands to put it on. Finally it was back in her possession. A mind-boggling question crossed her trail of thoughts as she looked up at the snatcher again. Why had he kept it at all?  
Instead of asking it out loud she let the stiff silence continue to reign, an eerie, indefinable feeling growing in her stomach as she thought about leaving. Without saying a word she turned around and gazed into the distance, spotting a narrow road that seemed to stretch on forever. A lukewarm breeze played with her blond hair as she took a stumbling step forward.

Scabior didn't move as much as an inch, watching her figure becoming smaller as she walked, eventually fading away. She was gone. The only person who had actually cared enough not to kill him, eventhough she had every reason to.  
It was strange and unexpected to say the least, out of the ordinary, but he decided not to dwell on the subject.  
He sighed, turning his gaze away from the dwindling road and the clear blue sky and headed for the cottage. The door gave away a faint, whiny squeak as he opened it. The tired snatcher fixed his gaze on a rickety wooden table. His hands landed on its dust-covered surface with dull thuds as he leaned over it, not knowing what to do. Voldemort was dead, his allies defeated.  
The war was over, as was his snatcher days. Scabior knew the Ministry would be quick to recover. Soon, aurors would begin for look for people like him. He had to go into hiding, although he had absolutely no idea where.  
His eyes glanced at the bed on the other side of the room. Perhaps he had already found the perfect hidingplace?  
Suddenly two arms wrapped around his waist. His stomach jolted from the unexpected move, feeling a chest softly pressing against his arched back.  
'Thank you for giving it back to me.' Cassie said with a voice almost as quiet as a whisper, slightly tightening her embrace before letting go.  
A gust of wind blew past his cheek as the door opened and closed behind him once again. Scabior stared at the ripped, floral wallpaper, her smell lingering obnoxiously long in the air around him.


	7. Chapter 6

**Extraordinarity personified**  
_(three years later)_

The cold ocean winds whined within the cells of Azkaban, waves hitting against the walls of the triangular prison with gruesome force. Guards clad in dark robes paced back and forth along their sections, constantly watching over the prisoners. The sound of their black leather boots hitting the stone floors echoed across the hallways and into every cell.  
In the middle of the depressing surroundings walked a pale woman in her upper twenties carrying a large fuchsia portfolio with a snakeskin pattern. Her crimson jacket and matching skirt stood out amongst the otherwise black and grey colour scheme, visible from one side of courtyard to the other.  
She strutted gracefully along the 5th floor corridor in a cool manor with her head held high. A slight smirk played on her painted lips as the sound her scarlet varnished stilettos hitting the harsh surface of the floor bounced against the walls. The flamboyant yet elegant hat resting on top of her dark hair was the finishing touch. She smelled of roses, a smell that was certainly noticeable among the stench of seaweed and the salt of the sea. The guards turned their heads as she passed, some gawking at her as their mouths slightly opened in disbelief.  
The fashionable woman was accompanied by a short, chubby old man carrying a seemingly very heavy book in his arms. Time and time again his round glasses began to slip down his crooked nose as a result of the sweat pearling on his forehead. He certainly lacked the relaxed, carefree spirit radiating from the woman he failed to keep up with.

She abruptly halted infront of a cell door with the number 503 written on a small sign near the top of it. Her stop almost caused her accomplice to slip as he hurried to catch up.  
'Benedict?' The woman called out with a tone of curiosity as one of her fingertips caressed the plate, its perfectly manicured nail glistening faintly.  
The man panted as he placed himself beside her, in vain trying to cover the bald spot on his head with his white hair. He cleared his throat in a matter-of-factly manor, fixing his glasses once and for all. 'Yes, madam?'  
'Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe this is the cell we are looking for.' she said with a childlike enthusiasm, yet maintaining that professional tone.  
He shot her a nervous glance, not too thrilled to be in such a dark and dreadful place such as Azkaban.  
'That is correct, madam.' he confirmed shortly, after taking a quick look at a page in the large book.  
'Oh, how delightful. Now can we get someone to open the door?' the woman asked demandingly as a guard walked towards them with long, confident steps.  
He was around her age, with dark curly hair, brown skin and hazel eyes with a joyful gleam to them that she found quite alluring.  
'Hello there, handsome.' she crooned as he took out his wand and pointed it at the door. "' suppose you are the one who is going to open it for us?'  
The guard looked at her flirtatiously, a hint of a smile on his full lips as the door gave away a series loud clanking noises like several gears in a complicated mechanism. 'Indeed I am.'  
After a number of unlocking charms, the door finally moved, slowly withdrawing into the cold walls.  
'Splendid.' the mysterious woman chirped as the inside of the cell opened up infront of them.

Confidently she stepped inside, smirking playfully at the man sitting in the corner casually leaning his back against the wall as though he didn't have a care in the world.  
His matted hair was put up in some sort of ponytail, a streak of red in the middle of it. The hair along with his beard, overall unclean appearance and the ragged, striped pyjamalike uniform made him look scruffy and ill. Despite of his condition he had maintained a rather muscular physique, something that intrigued her immensely.  
'Sebastian Scabior?' she called out, giving him a thorough once-over.  
He slowly turned his head to look at her with a, to say the least, surprised expression on his rather attractive face.  
'Yes.' he responded coldly, gaze fixed on her stilettos as she strode forward.  
'Goodmorning Mr. Scabior, pleased to make your acquaintance.' the woman greeted warmly, shaking his hand. 'I am Matilda Hopkins, Head Secretary of the Wizengamot.' she introduced herself, amused by his confusion.  
Without waiting for a response Matilda opened her briefcase, taking out a blue parchment. Before beginning to explain herself, she cleared her throat. This however was unnecessary, as her mere presence held everyone's attention.  
'Mr. Scabior,' she began, making a short dramatic pause. 'three years ago you were charged and proven guilty on several accounts of snatching of innocent Muggle-born witches and wizards, vandalism and assault.'  
Scabior huffed. ''as it only been three years? Feels like a lifetime.'  
'I am sure it does, Mr. Scabior.' Matilda said understandingly, reading the parchment to the bottom before putting it back in its place. 'However, a few months ago the Ministry conducted an extensive investigation regarding the events that took place during the battle of Hogwarts, by the orders of the Minister of Magic who felt the previous investigation had not been extensive enough.' she explained as she paced back and forth. 'As a result of these investigations, through a series of interviews with the majority of the survivors, a new conclusion regarding your actions during that night has been made. You were seen by numerous people riding a broomstick along with Cassiopeia Parker, casting various spells at known allies of Voldemort. Thereafter, it has been clarified that you continued to fight against his forces contrary to your actions before the battle of Hogwarts. During said battle you also managed to save a young student by the name of Julianne Smith, from certain death as you fought her attacker who has been confirmed to have been your previous boss, the werewolf Fenrir Greyback.'

Everyone in the room, including Scabior, followed her every move as though mesmerised.  
'After careful consideration and negotiating, you have therefore been granted parole.' Matilda revealed gravely, stopping with her stilettos a few inches from his legs.  
The former snatcher stared at her. 'Parole?' he breathed, completely baffled.  
She gave a swift nod. 'Yes. However, you are not allowed access to your wand until further notice. If you should be discovered having one in your procession during this time, you will immediately be escorted back to Azkaban. You will be given a flat by the Ministry, which you much use as residence. Again, until further notice. Aurors will also conduct randomized raids to make sure you follow the rules of your parole. As a result of this, you are not allowed to travel abroad unless accompanied at all times by at least three aurors.  
Furthermore, during any and all visits to Gringotts, the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts and all other facilities of similar character you will be put under strict surveillance. If you should break any of these rules you will immediately be brought back to Azkaban where you will spend the remaining years of your life. Have I made myself clear?'  
There was a short moment of silence as Scabior tried to take in what was actually happening. 'Yes.' came his short reply.  
Matilda smiled widely. 'Well then, Mr. Scabior. If you would be so kind as to accompany me to the Ministry.' she said joyfully, ushering him to stand up. 'Benedict, make sure everything is in order upon our arrival.'  
The short man straightened his back. 'It shall be done, Madam!' he confirmed as he hurriedly exited the cell.

* * *

'I believe that is all you need know.' Matilda said with a sultry voice, sliding a small, silvery key across her wooden office desk. 'Here is the key to your flat, and do not loose it because it will not be easy to get you a new one.' she added as he took it after staring at a tall stack of magazines next to the desk.  
On the cover of the top one, there was a picture of a slender woman wearing an excessive amount of jewellery. The title of the magazine was printed in large, black letters above her head, _Vogue_.  
Strangely enough the woman didn't move at all, she was just standing there with her hand against her forehead as if she was about to faint.  
'If there is one thing Muggles have that the wizarding world most certainly lacks, it is a sense of fashion Mr. Scabior.' she stated despondently upon noticing his confusion. "'peaking of which, you cannot leave my office looking like, well, like a prisoner who has not taken a bath in centuries. As a matter of fact you cannot look anything at all like a prisoner.' Matilda said gravely, casually flicking her wand at a bookshelf to her left.  
Immediately it moved, making way for a seemingly endless rack of clothes, shoes and accessories. All of it neatly arranged after colour, season and occasion.  
'Let us see..' she mumbled pensively, tapping her wand against it.  
A heap of clothes jumped from their hangers, hovering over towards a completely silent Scabior. He barely had time to take another breath before she yelled 'Perfect!' and he found himself with a completely new attire.

Slightly frightened, he looked down at his body. His prison clothes had been replaced by a pair of fitted black trousers, a t-shirt in a dark red colour and much to his liking, a leather jacket not too different from his own one on top of it.  
'As for shoes.' Matilda continued, stroking her sharp chin as her eyes narrowed. 'Ah! I think you will like these.' she said excitedly as a pair of black leather boots with a pair of chequered socks stowed inside levitated towards him, landing at his feet with a dull thud.  
He couldn't help but smirk as he put them on. He might not understand the concept of fashion, but he certainly didn't disapprove of his new outfit.

* * *

Author's note: And now, the fun part begins! Onwards to chapter seven. :D  
By the way, I'll be gone for the rest of the week and probably won't be doing any updates until the week after.


	8. Chapter 7

**Obliviate**

Cassie yawned as she locked the doors to Magical Menagerie. Her eyes were tired to the point of itching from the day's work. The week before the start of another year at Hogwarts was always the busiest. Parents of firstyears constantly running in and out of the shop in search of the perfect rat or toad or cat. To have another pet instead of an owl, or to have an owl and an additional animal companion had been a growing trend since the defeat of Voldemort, meaning even more work and even more stressed costumers.  
But constantly having more than one task at hand was something Cassie found to be quite enjoyable, eventhough it was immensely exhausting. It made each day a little more exciting than on a regular week.  
With a tired smile she walked down those familiar cobblestone streets she had walked for so many years. The sun was setting above the rooftops, casting a dim, orange light over an unusually crowded Diagon Alley as she headed home.  
She cast a glance at a shop window to her right, noticing her own reflection. A few strands of her blond hair made a slight yet incredibly annoying bump in her otherwise decent French plait. Carefully her fingers took a hold of them, trying to take them out of the hairdo without messing it all up. The operation failed however, causing her to take out the piece of string holding it together and let her unkempt hair fall out.  
Deciding her rumbling stomach was more important than her hair, she started to walk again, slightly upping her pace as she tried to push through the crowd of witches and wizards. It seemed she could barely take a single step forward without bumping into someone, causing her to utter an array of 'excuse me's.  
Cassie held her gaze fixated on the ground to try and maintain some sort of orientation. As soon as she looked up, she found herself lost in a mass of hats in different colours and shapes.  
Despite the constant collisions with others, she smiled. Large, buzzing crowds had always brought a sort of comfort. A strange feeling of being invisible at the same time as being completely out in the open, hiding in plain sight.

A sense of being watched suddenly came upon her as she turned the corner by a small café. She hastily looked around but it was of no use. Everyone was rushing by, making it impossible to tell one face in the crowd apart from the other. Still, the inkling grew stronger. An icing sensation ran through her body as she noticed a tall man walking a few feet behind her. There was something about him, a notion that made him stand out among the others. He stared at her with cold, blue eyes as she squeezed past a couple of old women.  
She gradually upped her pace, deliberately trying to take as many turns as possible to make sure it wasn't just paranoia.

After making it out of Diagon Alley, through the passage at the backside of The Leaky Cauldron, Cassie once more glanced over her shoulder as she headed out on the nearly deserted street. Her stomach jolted out of fear as she realized he was still following her, watching her with those eerily empty eyes. She could feel her heart beat faster, pounding against her chest as she began to run. Since that time she had apparated with Scabior after the battle of Hogwarts, appariting hadn't been an option. Something had happened during that apparition that made it impossible for her to do it without collapsing afterwards, making running the only option at the moment.  
The man followed, closing in on her with every step.  
Cassie tried to run faster, trying to shake him off by zigzagging through the narrow streets surrounding them. This strategy seemed to be working, as he wasn't able to keep up with her.  
She used this advantage to head into a small alley, disappearing from his line of sight. Knowing the action wouldn't keep him from finding her, she reached for her wand in one of the pockets of her blue jacket. As she tightened her grip around it she slightly turned around the corner, peering out on the street to locate her chaser but he was nowhere to be found.

'_Expelliarmus_!' A deep, male voice yelled behind her as the wand got knocked out of her hand by a white blast.  
She turned around as the man sealed the last few feet between them, forcing her to back up against the wall. He got a hold of her throat as the other continued to point his wand at her.  
'Where is he?' the man spat, tightening his grip slightly.  
Cassie gasped for air, her hands desperately trying to free her. 'Who?'  
The stranger loosened his hold again, enabling her to catch her breath. 'The snatcher, where is he?'  
She looked into his eyes and shook her head. 'I don't know who you're asking for.'  
He snarled at her answer. 'You're lying! Now, tell me where he is. Where is Scabior?'  
'I don't know!' she said faintly. 'Please.'  
Her hand reached out for her wand laying on the ground. '_Accio_ wand.' she whispered as quietly as possibly.  
Immediately it flew into her grasp, enabling her to knock her attacker out of the way.  
Cassie watched him stagger backwards, a blue light emerging at the tip of her wand.  
His legs locked together, his arms against his sides as he fell to the ground. She looked at his immobilized body, aiming her wand at his forehead.  
She swallowed hard, cursing at herself for even hesitating. If she were to leave him like this he would be able to tell everything about her to whoever he was working for. Exactly what she looked like, down to the very fabric of her black trousers, her actions and which way she headed.  
'_Obliviate_.' she whispered before briskly walking out of the alley, determined to get to the safety of her flat quickly.

* * *

A summer breeze rolled in through the open window, playing with a number of flutes that hovered in the air. The wind blew through them, creating a low melody that filled the entire café. Scabior's fingers impatiently drummed on the round, wooden table he was sitting by. He observed the witches and wizards walking past, envying their freedom. If there was one thing the former snatcher hated, it was following rules. He looked at the glass of firewhiskey infront of him, reaching for it to take a sip.  
Oh, how he missed his wand. He didn't want to admit it, but without it he felt vulnerable. Not to mention life was boring in its absence. He wondered how long it would take for the Ministry to give it back to him.  
A month? A year? A lifetime?  
Scabior's throat faintly felt like burning as he downed the last of the whiskey. He had to get his wand back, and he was sure Matilda was the person to talk to. But she seemed like quite a stubborn woman, someone not to be tempered with. How was he to convince her?  
Suddenly feeling sick of doing nothing about it, he rose from his seat, throwing some sickles on the table. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but with the looming threat of being sent back to Azkaban for the rest of his days he had to. The waitres behind the counter of the bar gave him a timid smile. They locked eyes for a moment, a contact Scabior was quick to end. He walked through the maze of tables, heading straight for the exit.

Two men entered the café just as he was about to reach for the brass doorknob, momentarily blocking his path. They stared at him in unison as he passed, a strange inkling coming over him. As he headed out on the buzzing street, he knew they were following.  
Despite feeling their hostile glares on his back, watching his every move, Scabior didn't look back at them. Instead he continued to strut forward calmly, glancing at the many shop windows along the block.  
He knew they weren't gaining on him. In such a crowded place they wouldn't be able to do anything besides observe from a distance, waiting for the proper moment to attack. He turned a corner to a narrow, less busy alleyway, deciding he wasn't quite keen on fighting without his wand.  
Without any further analyzing of the situation, he headed back to the main street and straight for the Ministry of Magic.


	9. Chapter 8

**The chase reinitiated.**

'No, you obviously don't understand.' Cassie groaned, rubbing her temples out of annoyance as she glared at the young woman on the other side of the desk.  
'He almost strangled me for the sake of some information I couldn't give him! He attacked me, not the other way around.'  
The woman raised an eyebrow, twirling strands of her fiery red hair around her finger. 'Yes, I'm sure it's quite the tale. However, this is a reception desk, law enforcement and crime solving is two levels up. So if you don't have anything of relevance to say, please get out of the way. As you can see, there are others who require my assistance.' she said indifferently, pointing at the queue to her desk that seemed to go on forever.  
Cassie sighed, feeling both embarrassed and irritated.  
'Fine.' she muttered under her breath before heading for the lifts.

* * *

'Mr. Scabior!' Matilda exclaimed joyously as Scabior entered her office, the two accompanying aurors standing guard outside.  
'To what do I owe the pleasure?' she asked smiling, flinging her feet up on her desk as he sat down on the opposite side of it.  
He eyed her pensively. She was wearing a long black dress following every curve of her hourglass body. A long slit ran up its right side, showing off her bare leg. Like the last time they had met, her lips were painted red. A lavish silver necklace hung around her neck, five different gemstones attached to it. Only a fool would say she wasn't stunning.  
'I need my wand.' Scabior said after a moment of silence, looking into her blue eyes.  
'And to think I thought you had come here simply because you missed me!' Matilda sighed with mock hurt as she looked down at her black stilettos. 'You know I cannot give it to you.'  
'Someone's after me, I simply need my wand to protect myself.' he explained, smirking triumphantly as he noticed that the uttering had caught her interest.  
Matilda immediately leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, something he found to be rather odd.  
'Tell me more.' she said gravely.  
'Sorry love, but if I did I might put you in danger.' Scabior teased, crossing his arms.  
This seemed to make her even more intrigued and she leaned back in her chair, tapping one of her fingers against her chair rapidly for a short moment before taking a deep breath.  
'Well, as the Head Secretary of the Wizengamot, aswell as your guardian, I would say it is my duty to hear you out and aid you if possible.' she continued coolly.

* * *

Cassie's gaze fixated itself on the sign above the large, black door. _The department of magical law enforcement and crime solving_. She looked around, somehow feeling as though she wasn't allowed to be there. People constantly walked past her, heading in and out of the dramatic entrance. None of them glared at her, no one turned their heads or stared at her with narrowed eyes. Infact, she wasn't sure anyone had even noticed her. They all seemed too preoccupied with their own thoughts to become aware of her presence. She inhaled deeply, momentarily hesitating before stepping forward and entering the department.  
Her eyes widened at the sight. Everywhere witches and wizards clad in red robes rushed in different directions, carrying large stacks of books or parchments. Suddenly she felt a renewed sense of gratitude for her job at Magical Menagerie. Sure it wasn't always the most exciting or happening of jobs, but atleast she didn't have to stress every day.  
Working at the department of magical law enforcement and crime solving seemed to be quite stressful, not to mention chaotic. Paper planes flew everywhere around her. Some trying to get into rooms, some flying past her to the lifts and some landing on one of the many desks infront of her.0  
A thin man suddenly popped out of nowhere, looking at her intently.  
'State your name and business please, and I'll assist you if I can.' he said almost mechanically.  
Cassie was somewhat taken back by his bluntness, waiting a few seconds before answering. 'My name is Cassiopeia Parker, I am here because I was attacked a couple of days ago and I want to report it.'  
The man gave a slow nod, eyeing her as if contemplating on the mysteries of life.  
'Well, Miss Parker.' he began, gesturing her to follow him. 'Let us head to my office and we'll see what I can do about it.'  
She smiled, feeling surprisingly impressed. Such politeness and swift aid was something the Ministry hadn't given her in a long time.

* * *

'I shall inform the aurors of your regaining of your wand, but if it comes to my attention that you have misused it the consequences will be utterly severe.' Matilda cautioned, watching Scabior intensively as he examined the wand in his hands with a faint grin.  
'Have I made myself clear?'  
He looked up, somewhat intimidated by her menacing expression.  
'Yes.' he answered hurriedly, putting his wand in the front pocket of his trousers as he stood up.  
'And I expect frequent updates on the case!' she added, snapping her fingers.  
Immediately the door burst open, the two aurors hurrying insides with their wands readied.  
'Rudolf, Angelica, I am perfectly safe and sound.' Matilda assured them, ushering them to stand down. 'And I do believe Mr Scabior can find his way out of the Ministry on his own, I need to have a little chat with the two of you.' she said, waving her hand at Scabior, signalling him to leave as a surprised look crossed the aurors' faces.  
The former snatcher wasted no time to get out of the office, the door slamming shut behind him as soon as he exited. He walked down the corridor with hurried steps, eager to leave the Ministry.  
To think how different the place had been three years ago, under the brief reign of Voldemort. Everyone had seemed to change allegiance quicker than the winds changed direction. He didn't blame them though, people always did everything they could to save their own skin.  
A small, metallic ball came flying straight at him, interrupting his trail of thoughts. He ducked to avoid collision, watching it continue its journey down the corridor for a few seconds.

As he turned around again he froze momentarily, observing the blond-haired woman walking towards him. A brown hoodie was visible beneath her blue jacket, ripped skinny jeans covering her legs. Beneath a pair of quite worn, black leather boots hinted rainbow-coloured socks. She halted upon noticing him, staring at him with a blank expression. A skinny man who had passed him only moments ago, came back into view.  
'Cassiopeia Parker, please follow me.' he said politely before darting off again. 'I am on a tight schedule!'  
She didn't obey his order, instead she continued to look at Scabior with her bright-green eyes. The memory of her embrace came back to him, generating a strange feeling. It had been one of those goodbyes there seemed no return from, as if the person vanished completely from the face of the earth. Yet there she stood, looking exactly like she had done three years ago.  
Suddenly she reached out for him, taking a harsh hold around his wrist as she opened a door to the left.

Cassie pushed him into the room, closing the door behind them just as the man came looking for her again. She looked around, realizing they were standing in a small broom cupboard as a bright light emerged from the tip of her wand.  
'Miss me did you, love?' Scabior said teasingly as she pinned him to the wall.  
'Oh, shut it.' she snapped, raising her wand to his face. 'A man chased after me yesterday, into an alley. He tried to strangle me as he asked me where you were.' Cassie hissed, watching his grin fade. 'Who was he?'

Scabior looked at her gravely, wondering why someone had gone after her in order to get to him. 'I don't know.'  
She let go of him, taking a step back. 'Well why was he after me, then?' she asked fumingly, watching his every move as she leaned against the opposite wall.  
'How should I know? I just got back from Azkaban!' he retorted angrily.  
Cassie froze momentarily, obviously shocked by the news. 'Azkaban? Well no wonder someone's looking for you if you managed to escape!' she growled, tightening the grip around her wand.  
'I didn't bloody escape, I was let out!'  
'Let out? Why would anyone let you out?' She questioned incredulously.  
He snarled at her. 'For wha' I did at the battle of Hogwarts. Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are.'  
Noticing her calm down a bit made him relax, the last thing he wanted was to fight in a broom cupboard at the Ministry after just having gotten his wand back.  
'What I don't understand is why anyone would tie us together.' Cassie muttered, glaring ferociously at him. 'But I most certainly am not going to let anyone strangle me again anytime soon. I'm going to find out who's behind it all.' she continued determinedly.  
'Sure, because every time you intervene in somethin' it just works out smoothly, doesn't it?' Scabior taunted.  
'Has anybody ever told you that you're an insufferable conundrum of disastrous proportions?' she snapped, hoping she had for once struck a nerve.

'And has it managed to escape your mind that you are completely mental?' he asked, holding back a chuckle.  
With a huff, Cassie lifted her wand to his face and pressed it against his nose. 'I hardly think that you can ask such a question, Mr Trouble Magnet.'  
'I'd hardly call it trouble magnet.' he disagreed, feeling more insulted than he probably should have. 'You're the one who constantly gets yourself into every possible mess!'  
'But I wouldn't be in this mess to begin with if it wasn't for you, would I?' she questioned, refusing to back down.  
'If you weren't so bloody stubborn, you wouldn't still be in it.' Scabior hissed, the cramped space along with the strained tension getting on his nerves.  
Cassie lowered her wand again, clenching her fists. 'So I should've just let you walk away with my necklace, and pay no attention to the fact that it pissed me off immensely?'  
'Yes, you blabbering buffoon!' he yelled, relieved over the fact that his nose was left alone.  
'You stuck-up, ignorant twat!' she retorted, feeling more affronted than she had expected.  
He frowned, glaring at her. 'You stubborn fool.'  
'Shabby-looking, idiotic madman.' she immediately muttered through gritted teeth.  
'Shabby-looking?' he huffed, as if this mentioning of his appearance was the worst insult he had ever recieved.

The brass doorknob suddenly began to turn. They immediately ended their bickering, both staring at the door as if it was death itself. They scarcely dared to breathe as it slowly began to open, squeaking menacingly.  
An elderly woman gawked at them as she entered the tiny broom cupboard that barely had any room left to spare. 'Oh, I'm sorry.' she stammered, looking at them with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment.  
'I'll come back later.' she said gravely, backing out into the corridor again before the door closed in their faces.  
The awkward moment made them realize how impractical it was to argue in a broom cupboard at the department of magical law enforcement and crime solving. They turned their gazes towards eachother, the strange tension almost touchable as though the air had become thicker than usual.  
He sighed. 'You don't even have anything t'go on.'  
'Maybe not at the moment, but I will. Trust me.' Cassie stated with a low voice, reaching for the knob. 'Goodbye.' she said shortly with a slight huff, exiting the tiny room before he could react.

The sun was still shining brightly as Cassie walked out of the Ministry of Magic, crossing the street with a frown on her freckled face as she thought about her run-in with Scabior. How could he not know who was after him, and why they had decided to bring her into the problem? And why had he even been let out of Azkaban? So many questions popped up inside her head it felt as though it was going to explode.  
She looked at some of the many strangers she passed, wondering where they were going and what they were thinking. Scabior once again crossed her mind as she looked at the blue sky above, a lone dove flying over her. Three years had gone since they had last seen eachother, yet it somehow only felt like yesterday.  
He hadn't changed at all. His tangled hair was still put up in a messy plait, the streak of red impossible to overlook. And brown stubble still covered his chin.  
The tired witch thought back on the man who had attacked her, trying to figure out who he was and why he had thought she knew of Scabior's location.  
Cassie let out a sigh, realizing there was no point in trying to analyze the situation with herself. Her hand subconsciously travelled to the silver necklace hanging around her neck, caressing the blue gem attached to it. Her attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery suddenly seemed increasingly impossible.


	10. Chapter 9

**Consequences**

Cassie's entire body jerked at the sharp raps on the door to her flat at just after 3 o'clock in the morning. She blinked tiredly, wiping the drool from the corner of her slightly parted mouth. Another couple of knocks hit the wooden surface of the door, this time harder and more acute. An annoyed feeling stirred inside the half asleep witch as she uncoordinatedly stumbled out of the bed.  
The obnoxious knocks ringed in her tired ears at an almost painful volume compared to the compete muteness that had reigned until half a minute ago.  
She didn't even bother to look herself in the mirror, knowing the reflection staring back at her would be unpleasant to look at. Her hands took her bright pink bathrobe from the hanger on the white wall on instinct, covering her blue striped pyjamas with it. Yawning, she rubbed her green eyes who persisted on closing every other millisecond. They, along with the rest of her sluggish body didn't quite appreciate awaking so abruptly. Just before reaching for the handle, she grabbed her wand lying on the turquoise coffee table beneath the hallway mirror. Afterall, visits at this hour weren't particularly frequent.  
The knocking recommenced, this time with such force she thought the door was about to crash onto the floor. To avoid the ruckus of that collision, Cassie sharpened her mind as best she could, finally opening to whoever was on the other side.  
'What's all this about?' she asked yawning, her eyes closed.

Strong hands grabbed her upper arms, dragging her away from the entrance. Terrified and shocked, Cassie looked up at her captor, all tiredness gone as she was forcefully led down the spiral staircase.  
'What's going on?' she asked angrily, trying to make as much noise as possible.  
'Shut up!' A deep, male voice bellowed ominously.  
There were three of them. Two men and a rather short, skinny woman. The taller of the two men was the one holding her as the other walked ahead of the group, casting what she suspected was some sort of muffling charm at every door they passed.  
'Help, somebody help!' Cassie screamed, hoping someone could still hear her.  
The woman had managed to snatch her wand during the commotion, holding it in her right hand with a victorious smile on her almost sickly pale face as she strutted down the steps. Her short, blond hair stood up in spikes, showing off her sharp features.  
'I've got your wand!' she cackled tauntingly with a eerily girlish voice, stretching out her pierced tongue.  
Cassie's top lip curled, snarling viciously as they headed out on the dimly lit street.  
'Let me go!' She yelled ferociously, trying to conceal the trembling in her voice as she moved her body as much as possible.  
The more she resisted, the more the man holding her tightened his grip, eventually making her feel as though he would snap her arms off any second.  
'I'd say she's bein' quite a handful.' He mumbled, using all of his strength to keep her from escaping. 'Mind tonin' 'er down for me?'  
The woman laughed as they headed right, aiming her wand at their captive.  
'Stupify.' she chirped.

* * *

A cold, early morning breeze slowly rolled in over the leaf-covered soil. Cassie's eyes fluttered open. She tried to move her hands, realizing they were tied together behind an uncomfortably broad tree. Her legs immediately drew themselves towards her chest, the decaying leaves rustling quietly beneath her bare feet. Fear once again struck her as she looked around, realizing where she was. The snatcher camp in The Forest of Dean where she had been chased by Greyback all those years ago.  
Despite the fact that it was late July, this part of the forest seemed untouched by the rays of sunlight. Probably due to the canopy of treetops hiding the sky.  
Cassie looked around, noticing her captors sitting around a sizzling fire. She licked her dry lips, longing to feel its warmth.  
The woman, who was currently munching on what looked like a bar of chocolate, suddenly looked her way.  
'Oi, lads. Our guest is finally awake!' she laughed, rising from her seat.  
The men, who Cassie counted to a total of four, jeered as the woman skipped over to her with a wide smile on her face.  
'You're a pretty one, aren't you?' she teased, playing with her hair.

* * *

Scabior breathed slowly, casually walking through the dark forest as though he was taking an early morning stroll. He quelled his urge to whistle, reminding himself he had to remain silent just in case. Just like his seemingly deserted surroundings.  
A crow screeched from one of the many tree branches above as he continued his lonesome journey. It watched him intently, flapping it wings agitatedly.  
In order to find out about who had been searching for him and more importantly, why, he had decided to return to the snatcher camp in The Forest of Dean.  
The camp where he had spent most of his nights during the war. Hopefully, it would give him some information, although he wasn't at all sure what he expected to find. Frankly, it was incredibly naïve of him to think that the answers to his questions would be found there. But something told him the journey wouldn't be in vain.  
Eventually a group of off-white tents materialized in the distance. The camp looked just like it had done during the war. Only difference was that he now approached it as an outsider, instead of an ally.  
To his great surprise however, it wasn't abandoned. He slowed down his pace, scanning the area from left to right attentively. Three men were sitting by the open fire, having a heated discussion with a man with greasy, shoulderlenght hair who stood a few feet away. Scabior fixed his gaze at him, realizing they had met before. They had carried out a few snatchings together during their, the silent, observant and cold kind. Edgar, or something.  
'What makes you think he'll come now?' one of the men by the fire questioned doubtfully. 'None of our previous attempts have exactly worked.'  
Suddenly an unhealthily pale woman with short, spiky hair came into view.  
She pranced around the fire with her hands behind her back, smirking gleefully. 'Because we got his girl, didn't we Edgar?' she laughed, looking up at the man with the greasy hair, her eyes gleaming with admiration and affection.

'I'm not his girl, whoever you're talking about. Let me go!' A familiar female voice yelled fumingly.  
Scabior momentarily froze as he found its source. Cassie was sitting on the ground, tied to a tree by one of the tents. Most of her body was sheeted by a bright pink bathrobe that most certainly stood out from all the blacks and greys. Beneath it he glimpsed what looked like the hem of a pair of blue striped flannel trousers.  
She really had a talent for getting into all sorts of messes.  
'It's written all over ye, love.' Edgar jeered, nodding at the somewhat annoying, spiky-haired woman. 'Go tell'im 'bout our little catch, beautiful.' he ordered with a surprisingly soft voice.  
The woman responded by laughing airily. 'Consider it done!' she said cheerfully before disapparating.  
Cassie closed her eyes, leaning her head against the trunk with a disheartened expression on her freckled face. Scabior watched her, wondering why she was even there to begin with. She obviously wasn't the target, just a bait for someone who's girl they apparently thought she was.  
The muscles in his face twitched faintly, a strange and unknown feeling making its presence known within his gut. She was someone's girl? His eyes narrowed, automatically fixing themselves on the captured witch in question. Who's girl?  
He suddenly remembered their broom cupboard argument at the Ministry two weeks earlier. She had told him someone had interrogated her, asking her where he was.  
Wait, they couldn't seriously think-

The sound of someone walking towards her, made Cassie reluctantly open her eyes again.  
'What's your name?' Edgar asked indifferently, squatting infront of her.  
She didn't answer, fixing her gaze on her freezing cold feet. A big hand suddenly took a hold of her hair, ruthlessly tightening the grasp. She winced, her scalp feeling as though it was on fire.  
The pain caused her eyes to water, but she was determined not to give in. As he jerked her head back, Cassie spat right in his face. The action forced him to briefly let go, wiping off the spit before looking at her with a wild, intimidating gaze. It was enough to make her regret her little rebellion immensely, to fear what would happen next.  
Edgar stood up, pacing infront of her with hasty steps without taking his eyes off of her. He let out a humourless, cold laughter, taking out his wand.  
The men by the fireplace had risen from their seats, walking over to him with sly grins, eagerly awaiting his next move. Edgar halted abruptly, staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.  
She winced faintly as he teasingly raised his wand, pointing it at her chest. He huffed at her reaction, roughly placing his hand on her face before smashing her head against the tree. His accomplices cheered, clapping their hands as he punched and kicked her, his eyes gleaming with enjoyment.  
Edgar suddenly stopped, gesturing the three men to head back to the campfire as he watched blood stream down her face.  
'Now, I'll ask again. What's your name?' he panted, sweat pearling on his forehead.  
Just as she was about to answer, a loud ruckus rang through the air. He instantly turned around, forgetting all about his question.  
'He wasn't there!' the spiky-haired woman yelled anxiously as she walked up to him..  
'And you looked everywhere?' he asked with a voice as cold as ice.

As a heated argument began between them Cassie turned her head to the left, tears forming in her eyes. As soon as she tried to move, a sting of pain ran through her body. She looked down at her chest, watching blood drop down from her chin and land in drops on her bathrobe. Her gaze travelled from the brown leaves on the ground to the dark forest. She stared into the maze of trees, wondering how on earth she was supposed to escape. She wiggled her cold toes in an attempt to keep them warm, only scraps of the argument reaching her ears as she continued to gaze at nothing.  
The sound of a breaking twig caught her attention however, as it came from the very part of the woods she was looking at. Her back straightened, the watery film slowly disappearing from her eyes as she scanned the area. She didn't know why, but that breaking twig had ignited a small spark of hope.  
A crouching figure appeared between two of the many stems, slowly closing in on the camp.  
Eventually it came to the point where light from the fire managed to reach the stranger's face. She was hit with a stab of an indescribable emotion as she recognized who it was. Scabior looked at her with that quizzical, slightly confused expression he often wore. They stared at eachother, both equally surprised of the other's presence. Eventhough she didn't quite want to admit it to herself, the fact that he was there actually calmed her down.  
His lips mouthed a silent 'nice outfit' as his right index finger pointed at her pink bathrobe. She couldn't help but to roll her eyes at the move.

Scabior slowly lifted his wand, aiming it at the chains holding her hands tied. He mumbled something unhearable. The chains rustled quietly, landing on the leaf-covered soil with a dull thud.  
Then he turned his head towards the arguing group, taking a deep breath. Cassie watched intently as he took a step forward, completely exposing himself.  
Immediately the woman noticed him, pointing her slender finger at him as she jumped.  
'There he is, told you he was already on his way!' she laughed, a wand appearing in her hand.  
Edgar turned around at the blink of an eye, grinning widely as he looked at him. Scabior lifted his hands as if he needed an answer to a question he had already uttered. 'Do you mind tellin' me why, Edgar?' he asked with a strange mixture of gravity and curiosity, realizing he had found his stalkers.  
The man let out a husky laugh that caused the thin moustache on his even thinner, curled upper lip to almost disappear.  
'Common Scab, you know the reason.' he said as tough it was obvious.  
'Tell him, darling. Tell him!' the obnoxious woman said eagerly as Scabior closed in.  
Edgar shrugged. 'Fine.' there was a short pause consisting of concentrated watching. 'You betrayed us.'  
The three other men rose from their seats, surrounding them with their wands readied. Scabior jerked faintly, overthrown by the answer. Betrayed?  
'Since when do people like us 'ave a sense o'loyalty?' he questioned.  
'Since the battle of Hogwarts.' Edgar spat, glaring at him menacingly. 'You suddenly changed sides and became a bloody saint!' there was a short but intense silence in the conversation, as they all appeared to be waiting for someone to cross the line. 'You even attacked Greyback!'  
'Oh, I'm sorry for hurtin' your feelings. Want a hug?' Scabior asked sarcastically, holding out his arms.  
Edgar snarled. 'I've had quite enough of you and your little accomplice.'  
Just as he raised his wand, his attention suddenly drew somewhere else, a look of panic crossing his face for a split-second. 'Catch her!' he yelled infuriately.  
Scabior glanced over his shoulder, watching Cassie stumblingly run into the forest with the rest of the group behind her. He managed to return his concentration to Edgar just in time to block the first spell.

Cassie's heart pounded against her chest as she once again found herself running through The Forest of Dean. Her four chasers constantly waved their wands at her, spells hitting everything around her with loud bangs like firecrackers. She ducked under a low branch just as a flash of red passed over her head. The pain from Edgar's abuse was ignored and pushed away by adrenalin and fear.  
'I'll get you, you bitch!' The woman screamed somewhere close behind as she ran down a steep hill.  
Cassie cursed as she stepped on a twig, a sharp ache stinging her entire foot. She wondered where it all would end as she dodged yet another spell.  
The exhausted witch looked over her shoulder, relieved to realize her followers had somewhat fallen behind. Despite of the chaotic situation, she managed to think relatively straight. She thought about Scabior who had once again stumbled upon her when she needed saving. Suddenly she felt a little ashamed for just running off. What if he needed help?

Cassie subconsciously changed direction, heading back to the camp. The pale woman had almost caught up with her at this point, casting a never-ending array of curses.  
Eventually the four white tents materialized between the tree trunks. She panted heavily as she entered the camp, halting abruptly. Edgar flicked his wand at Scabior, who elegantly blocked the green light with a protection ward. The curse rebounded, hitting its caster with gruesome force, sending him crashing to the ground.  
'NO!' came a high-pitched scream as the woman pushed Cassie aside, tears streaming down her thin face.  
After a quick glance at the motionless, greasy-haired man she gave Scabior a death glare, immediately lifting her wand against him.  
'Crucio!' she cried, a blast of red flying through the air.  
He immediately collapsed, his body shaking violently from the unbearable pain.  
Cassie held back the scream building up inside, immediately stepping forward. Enough.  
The spiky-haired woman, too wrapped up in her sorrow and thoughts of vengeance, neglected to notice her. 'How does it feel?' she chuckled humourlessly, enjoying his suffering.  
The question sent Cassie over the edge. She pushed the woman as hard as she could, watching her fall. The three men came running towards them, having finally caught up.

Scabior slowly stood up on unsteady legs as the tall, dark-skinned aimed at Cassie who had managed to snatch her wand from the grasp of the frantic woman.  
'Stupify!' she yelled just as his lips parted.  
With a quiet groan, he landed on the ground. The two remaining men lunged at her, casting number of spells which she somehow managed to block. Scabior, who had recovered from the recent ordeal, wasted no time to intervene.

* * *

The woman had crawled over to Edgar's motionless body, gently stroking his cheek as she continued to cry, completely isolated from the world around her.  
Despite everything that had happened, Cassie's heart sank as she witnessed the scene.  
A hand suddenly took a surprisingly gentle hold of her wrist. Still in defence mode, she turned around, raising her wand on instinct.  
'We need to get out of 'ere.' Scabior said with a low voice as she looked at the two men who had joined the third one on the ground, motionlessly lying next to eachother like dead fish.  
'Cottage?' he asked as they locked eyes.  
She gulped, thinking about the inevitable apparition. She knew they had to leave, but still. Reluctantly, Cassie nodded.  
'You'll pay for this!' The woman yelled after them just as they disapparated.


	11. Chapter 10

**Truce**

Lukewarm rain hit Cassie's skin like nails as she stumbled around in the mud infront of the cottage. Just like the last time she had consciously apparated, her head was throbbing with pain, the nausea growing within. She needed to lay down, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. Not after everything that had transpired in The Forest of Dean.  
Infuriately, Cassie tugged at her bathrobe, pulling it off before throwing it into the dirt as hard as physically possible.  
'I'm so sick of getting chased!' she yelled angrily, wet strands of hair clinging to her face like glue.  
The wound on her foot from stepping on that blasted twig was stinging terribly, more soil entering it by the second. Without bothering to look at Scabior, who was panting heavily as he scanned the misty area, she headed for the door with heavy steps.  
It let out a tortured squeak as it flung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

The almost painfully loud noise rang in Scabior's ears, demanding his attention. Automatically he turned around, catching glimpses of the upset witch through the dirty window. His boots sunk deep into the mud as he walked towards the cottage, slowing him down immensely.  
He cast a glance at the pink bathrobe laying in the pool of mud. Its bright, almost annoyingly flashy colour had been concealed beneath a layer of wet soil.  
A new, unexpected sound reached him. The sound of quiet sobbing.  
Just as he was about to enter the cottage he stopped, hesitating on the threshold for a moment before finally taking the step.  
By now the heavy downpour had almost soaked him entirely, only the back of the vest and shirt beneath his open leather jacket still dry.  
His eyes travelled to the blond-haired woman standing a few feet away. She stared at the wooden floor with a blank expression, occasionally wiping the excess snot from her running nose as tears streamed down her red cheeks. Blood from the gash on her lip slowly made its way down her chin, parts of her face looking increasingly swollen. Scabior inhaled deeply as he instantly looked away, not bearing to witness her misery.  
A feeling of panic ran through his tired body, not knowing what to do. He had never before been in such a situation and he absolutely hated it. He wanted her to stop crying, to smile or laugh or atleast yell at him and throw insults. Something, anything besides what she was currently doing.

Cassie's eyes itched immensely. She could feel them getting red and puffy from her warm tears. Her gaze was fixed at her pale feet. The hem of her trousers was almost wet to the point of dripping, feeling cold and slimy against her ankles. She felt empty, not really knowing the reason for her breakdown. Perhaps the cup had finally been filled to the very brim and the recent events had been that one last drop that had broken the surface tension. Her body begged her to lay down, to go to sleep and just forget about everything. But she couldn't. Instead she just stood there in the middle of the cottage as if frozen, watching her tears and blood make small spots on the floor.  
She suddenly jerked, the feeling of a hand on her shoulder catching her completely off guard. The hand felt warm and surprisingly gentle as it slowly pulled her into a slightly awkward embrace. Despite it feeling very strange and unfamiliar, Cassie didn't want it to end. Her cold fingers twitched as her arms gradually lifted from her sides, eventually responding to the unexpected yet welcomed gesture.

Scabior stiffened slightly as he felt her arms wrap themselves loosely around his waist. She pressed her face against his chest, her tears making no difference on his already sodden clothing. He softly patted her back as he looked down at the top of her head, not really knowing what else to do. He closeness felt unnatural for him, yet he allowed it, oddly enough not wanting to pull away. This simple, but demanding act frightened him more than the recent fights had done.  
As her thin body continued to tremble from her crying, he dared himself to slightly tighten the embrace.

'You need to rest.' he said with a low voice as she dried her tears.  
She gave a faint nod, slowly letting go.  
He watched her carefully lay down on the bed, noticing the wound beneath her foot. It looked infected from all of the dirt. As she closed her eyes, Scabior turned his head towards the door, deciding to fetch her bathrobe.  
The rain continued to fall, reducing the line of sight to only a couple of feet ahead. He looked down at the ever increasing pool of mud, pink fabric sticking up in the thick of it. His hand reached for it, pulling it out of the soil that had begun to embed it. He yawned as he took out his wand, realizing how desperately he needed to sleep. All of the sudden the robe dried up, all stains and dirt falling off as he continued to point his wand at it. The rain somehow didn't affect it anymore.  
He opened the door again, looking at the seemingly sleeping woman on the bed as he threw the bathrobe over one of the chairs.

Cassie's eyes opened as Scabior sat down by the table. She looked at him, observing his emotionless facial expression as she wondered what was going through his mind. He looked tired and weary, his skin slightly paler than usual. His grey eyes stared at the floral wallpaper as he took off his mud covered boots, revealing a pair of striped socks.

A quiet rustle coming from the bed caught Scabior's attention. He turned his head towards Cassie, watching her stretch out her hand. He momentarily hesitated, feeling confused as to what the gesture meant.  
'What do you want?' he asked as he hesitantly began to rise from his seat.  
As he closed in, she responded by weakly tugging at his leather jacket as if trying to pull him closer.  
A wave of conflicting thoughts and emotions ran through him as he struggled to make a decision, still not entirely knowing what she meant. Suddenly is was as though his body acted for him, separately from his mind. It was as if it acted on instinct, automatically laying down beside her as she withdrew her hand.

The extra weight caused the worn out mattress to shift slightly. Cassie instantly moved over, making room for him. She could hear his deep breaths, smell the scent of forest stuck to his clothing. Feeling a new wave of tiredness coming over her, she allowed herself to lay an arm across his chest. The closeness felt strangely natural, eventhough she knew it shouldn't. She could feel herself drifting off, wondering what he thought of it all before finally falling into a well needed sleep.

* * *

Scabior and Cassie stared at the cracks in the ceiling, both knowing the other was awake, yet none of them bothering to do anything. Cassie's hands rested comfortably on her stomach, feeling it rise and sink along with her slow breathing. His right arm hung down the side of the bed, fingers brushing against the floor as the other arm rested beneath his head.  
'We have to find them, don't we?' she asked mundanely, feeling surprisingly well rested.  
He looked down at his feet, watching the fabric of his striped socks follow every movement of his wiggling toes.  
'Indeed we do.' he sighed, fixing his gaze on the ceiling again.  
There was a long pause in the conversation, consisting of calm breathing and the occasional crackle from the tin roof as the morning sun shone upon it.  
Cassie scratched her head before once again resting her hands on her stomach. 'But how?'  
Another pause.  
'Well, I think we can both agree that waitin' about would be foolish.' he said bluntly as they simultaneously turned their heads to look at eachother.  
She nodded faintly, eventhough it was unnecessary.  
'But we don't know anything about them.' she countered, wondering how they were supposed to strike before their chasers. 'And we can't exactly go around asking for information, it's too dangerous.'  
Scabior looked into her green, vibrant eyes, the only part of her face that didn't look swollen or bruised.  
'We'd better take a trip to the ministry, then.' he said as though she had already agreed.  
They turned to look upwards again.  
'Why?' Cassie asked doubtfully, not having the slightest clue as to why he wanted them to go to that awful place.  
'You'll see.' Scabior responded as he sat up, letting out a big yawn before standing.

* * *

Author's note: I hope you all like it so far, and that I've managed to keep the grammatical errors to a minimum. xD  
I won't be able to update it untill friday, but bear with me. :)


	12. Chapter 11

**The involuntary accomplices.**

The grilles of the lift withdrew, enabling Scabior and Cassie to enter. The two older men already inside backed in order to make more room. Eventhough she was facing the opposite direction, Cassie could feel their gawking. She supposed they weren't used to seeing a woman dressed in pyjamas, a bright pink bathrobe and bare feet at the Ministry of Magic. She suddenly felt a renewed sense of gratitude towards herself for having learned enough basic healing spells to take care of her injuries.  
Then again, considering all of the peculiar people and objects that passed through the place on an average day, this shouldn't be too out of the ordinary. The grilles reappeared, sealing the quartet from the rest of the main level with a loud, metallic bang. With a jerk the lift began to move, everyone except Scabior reaching for the knobs hanging from the ceiling. Instead he leaned casually against the wall, crossing his arms as their journey upwards began.  
Still she could feel the two strangers looking at her, eyeing her outfit with suspicion. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed the presumption. With a humourless grin on her lips, she momentarily turned around.  
'Rough morning.' she explained with a whisper, noticing uncertain smiles briefly crossing their faces as they nodded nervously.  
The lift abruptly began to reduce its speed, its eventual halting causing her to almost fall.  
'The department of magical law enforcement and crime solving.' an eerily polite female voice informed as the grilles once again disappeared into the walls.  
Scabior calmly walked out of the elevator with Cassie following close behind. They headed right, following a narrow corridor.  
Just like last time, the department was buzzing with people, witches and wizards hurrying left and right. Flocks of flying letters passed by, along with quills and copies of newspapers.

Eventually Scabior halted infront of a grand, black door with a lavish gilded frame.  
Matilda Hopkins - Head secretary of the Wizengamot, the sign above it stated with bold letters.  
The head secretary of the Wizengamot? Cassie glanced at the man beside her, really having no clue as to what he was hoping to accomplish. It wasn't exactly as though they could just waltz in.  
As if on queue, he turned the knob, opening the door to a spacious office. With lips slightly parted and an astonished look on her face, she stumbled inside, the door closing automatically behind them with a menacing bang.  
The back of a leather armchair could be seen behind a large oak desk. Upon their entering, it turned around, revealing a woman with pale skin, plaited auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a loose-fitted blouse in a thin fabric in a light, ashy shade of cerulean. It was matched with a darker blue pencil skirt that enhanced her hourglass figure. Her painted lips broke into a wide smile as she casually flung her feet up on the desk, revealing a pair of pumps in the same colour as her skirt.  
'Mr Scabior!' she said with a sultry voice as she looked towards a, to say the least, gobsmacked Cassie. 'And who might this unfortunate little darling be?' she asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.  
'C-Cassiopeia Parker.' Cassie stuttered, looking around with widened eyes.  
The woman's smile grew even wider as she gestured them to sit down.

'Cassiopeia, you say? What an interesting name!' Matilda's blue slowly eyes travelled from Scabior to Cassie and back again, a look of mischief on stunning features.  
'My parents have a thing for astronomy.' Cassie answered once the shock of her whereabouts had settled.  
'I must say I am rather curious as to why you have come to visit me.' The secretary began, raising an eyebrow. 'And I must also say that I am disappointed by the fact that you have neglected to send me any updates, Mr Scabior. However, since you have returned to me along with a woman clad in her nightwear, I figure the case has not been a complete standstill.'  
Scabior's back straightened as he leaned against the desk. 'You've got that right, beau'iful.' he said lowly, a smirk appearing on his lips.  
Cassie stared at them absentmindedly, completely clueless.  
'We need your help, to locate a couple of bastards we ran into the other night.' he continued.  
Matilda leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. 'And what makes you think that I would aid you in those endeavours?' she questioned as though they were playing a game.  
'Cause these they 'appened to be the ones lookin' for me.'  
'Is that so?' she asked cheerfully. 'Well, in that case, tell me everything you know.' Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Matilda held up her right index finger, signalling him to wait as she turned her attention to the witch with the wonderfully pink bathrobe. 'However, before we go over the details about the whole Forest of Dean business I must ask. How did someone such as yourself manage to get caught in this web?' she enquired, smiling warmly.  
A look of shock crossed Scabior's face for a split second. How did she know they had been in The Forest of Dean?

Cassie stared at the peculiar secretary, lightening up as she realized she was finally given the opportunity to share her story to the Ministry. To the High Secretary, no less. From her, she was bound to get some sort of legal help. Eagerly she began from the beginning.  
'Well, a couple of weeks ago I was attacked by a man in an alleyway just outside of the Leaky Cauldron. He pushed me up against the wall and almost strangled me as he asked me where Scabior was.'  
Matilda raised an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across her lips. 'And I suppose that was the incident you were here to report a couple of weeks ago?'  
'Yes.' Cassie answered surprised.  
As though she could hear her thoughts, Matilda immediately explained. 'As Head Secretary nothing that occurs in my department goes unnoticed. Not even your broom cupboard bickering.' she said with a tone of mystery, turning her attention to Scabior again.  
'I understand the group at the former snatcher camp in The Forest of Dean consisted of five. Four wizards and a witch?'  
He blinked, wondering how on earth she seemingly knew everything. 'How did you know?'  
Matilda laughed as though she didn't understand how he could even ask such a question.  
'The Ministry does not exactly let convicted criminals go loose without supervision, Mr Scabior. Surely you must know that!' she paused, looking at both of her silent visitors. 'I am afraid I have not been completely honest with you and the reason behind your parole.' Matilda continued, suddenly sounding grave. 'But I suspect you had that figured out the very moment I announced it to you.'  
Scabior stared at her, feeling slightly ashamed of the fact that he hadn't suspected it at all.  
'The group you are looking for consists of Samantha Edevane, Tom Johnson, Peter Abbot, Aaron Smith and the late Edgar, who's surname was unknown. And of course, Harold Burbage who after Cassiopeia's brilliant move has no memory whatsoever of his connection to the others. By now you must be itching to know the real reason for your release.' Matilda made a short but tense pause for added drama.  
'These six were and are a part of a larger group of outlaws the Ministry has tried to track down for over a year. Most of them were snatchers during the Second Wizarding War, all of them allies to Voldemort and are therefore wanted for crimes committed during said war.' another pause for ultimate suspension. 'Since you so fortunately happened to change sides during the battle of Hogwarts, Mr Scabior, I sensed the release of you might be enough of a provocation to lure them out of their hiding place. This has obviously proven to be a most accurate presumption.' she informed, obviously proud of her actions. 'Note however that I and the rest of the Ministry still thank you for your efforts during the battle.'

Scabior stared at her, feeling more betrayed than he perhaps should have.  
'So you're just gonna put me back in Azkaban as soon as you've caught your little escapees?' he questioned, not doing a very good job at keeping a straight face.  
If there was one thing he feared deeply, it was spending the rest of his life locked away in cell 503. 'Why didn't you tell me straight away?'  
'Because you would not have accepted the offer if I did, would you?' she asked. 'And of course I will not immediately send you back to Azkaban. But since you obviously have intentions of finding these crooks, and due to your inability to keep me informed on your progress in the matter, you are to accompany me tonight, when we plan to attack their headquarters.' Matilda explained calmly, examining her well manicured nails before looking up again.  
Her blue eyes momentarily fixed themselves on Cassie. 'The two of you, that is.'

Cassie automatically rose from her seat in pure shock. 'What?' she gasped, wondering why on earth she would have to come with them.  
'I was under the impression that you also wanted to find them.' Matilda responded, sounding slightly stunned by her sudden outburst.  
'Well yes, but that was only those at The Forest of Dean!' Cassie objected stubbornly.  
Matilda laughed, amused by her defiance. 'You have spirit! I like that. But I insist you come with us, in order for us to protect you. Since they have had clearly assumed the two of you have strong ties to eachother, and therefore both attacked and kidnapped you, it is best if you stay put.'  
'And head straight to their headquarters instead?' Cassiopeia huffed doubtingly.  
'Exactly!' The curvy woman beamed, flicking her wands at a bookshelf to her right.  
'But we have to do something about your ghastly attire.'  
Cassie took a hold of her bathrobe, looking at it confusedly. 'What's wrong with my outfit?'  
Matilda rose from her seat as a seemingly endless clothes rack came shooting out from the wall. A hairbrush came flying through the air, aiming straight for a rather bamboozled Cassie. Immediately it began to comb through the severely tangled mess that was her hair, its harshness causing an array of wincing and groans.  
Scabior couldn't help but snicker at her misery, her facial expressions pricelessly amusing.  
'This ought to suffice.' Matilda grinned as her fingers stopped by one of the hangers, pulling out a pair of blue skinny jeans and a white long-sleeved t-shirt.  
'I'm sensing you're not a_ fight in a dress_ type of girl.' she said pensively, aiming her wand at a pair of brown leather boots on a shelf.  
'You've… got that right.' Cassie muttered between her flinches before the hairbrush finally left her alone.  
A quiet poof later and her pyjama and bathrobe had been replaced by the attire Matilda had picked out for her, along with a black trenchcoat lying in her lap.  
'We leave around nightfall.' Matilda said lowly, watching them watch her as she sat down at her desk again.


	13. Chapter 12

**An unlikely trio**.

Cassie, Matilda and Scabior crawled closer to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the headquarters of their targets. The sun's last rays disappeared beyond the horizon as they scanned the area. High, untrimmed hedges surrounded the old mansion. That along with the flaking, white paint and the fact that a few of the windows were broken, gave the place a rather rundown impression.  
Matilda had dressed completely in khaki for the occasion, giving her a quite safari-esque look. Her blue eyes were fixed on one of the many holes in the roof. She took a deep breath, first turning her head left to look at Scabior, then right to make eyes with Cassie.  
'I say the roof is our best alternative. I know it may not be the most solid, but at least we will have the element of surprise.' she whispered, a concentrated expression on her face.  
'No, it's too risky. It looks too unstable for the three of us.' Cassie disagreed ponderingly. 'I say we split up.' she suggested after a short consideration with herself.  
Scabior sighed. 'Why don't we just go in through the front door? We'll end up fighting 'em anyway.'  
Matilda shook her head. 'That is far too reckless. Not only do we not know the exact number of foes, we do not know their exact location.'  
'That's why we should enter separately, to prevent all of us walking into the same trap.' Cassie said with a low voice as the three of them looked gravely at eachother.  
'But then we will not be able to communicate, which makes us vulnerable.' Matilda countered stubbornly.  
'I still vote for a more direct approach.' Scabior said casually, rolling over on his back after watching a man entering the rickety house.  
'Who knows what's waiting inside, what if we walk right into our own graves?' Cassie questioned. 'Besides, they've probably cast every existing protection spell around the place.'  
"No, they're too confident." Matilda mumbled. 'And ignorant.'  
Cassie and Scabior turned their focus to the secretary, thoughts of the Ministry suddenly popping into their heads. 'Aren't you supposed to have prepared something?'  
Matilda twitched as though the question was completely irrelevant.  
'What? Well, I got us here.' she answered shortly, feeling her cheeks heat up from the embarrassment. 'And the aurors will arrive in due time.'  
'Yes, but how are we gonna get in?' Scabior suddenly asked with a tone of impatience.  
Thus began a heated argument, the three of them constantly interrupting one another with increasingly louder voices, making it impossible to come any closer to making a decision.

'Alright, calm down. If we want this to be a successful operation, we cannot fight amongst ourselves.' Matilda finally managed to squeeze in during a short moment of silence.  
The bickering immediately ceased as slightly hostile glares were exchanged.  
'Let us just get moving, the front entrance will have to suffice.'  
They rose from the ground, walking side by side along the narrow road leading to the mansion. The trio strode into the yard, stern gazes fixed upon the askew front door. A cold gust of wind blew past, the dark leaves of the quite menacing hedges rustling quietly.  
'Remember, we want them alive.' Matilda reminded her accomplices as they placed themselves on either side of the door.  
Cassie gave a swift nod as a response whilst Scabior didn't do anything besides taking his wand out of his pocket. Deciding not to drag it out any further, Cassie reached for the odd, rusty doorknob shaped like the head of a pig. A small part of her had expected it to let out an oink as she turned it, and she found herself slightly disappointed when it didn't.

The door flung open, none of them longer believing that discretion was necessary as they stepped inside with loud steps. They were standing in what appeared to be a grand hallway, a not entirely stable-looking spiral staircase at the end of it. A dusty chandelier hung above them, a few crystals missing from it. The Persian carpet on the floor had several holes in it, and a couple of mysterious stains and burns as well.  
Laughter and cheerful voices could be heard behind the door to the right. The three intruders turned their heads towards it as it opened, a woman with stripy, black hair and a white, knitted beanie almost colliding with Scabior on her way out.  
Her brown eyes widened as she looked at them. A few moments of tense and rather strange silence passed between them before she managed to get over the shock and reach for her wand.  
Scabior was quick to react, sending her flying back into the room with a blast of red.  
She landed beside an old, Victorian couch, the loud crash causing the laughter and merry conversations to die out immediately.  
Matilda swiftly counted the number of people to sixteen in total. Men and women roughly between the ages of twenty and fifty. They all stared at the motionless body on the dusty floor, then to her attackers, then back again.  
A heartbeat later the fighting began, the trio spreading out across the hallway as the angry mob came running after them.

Matilda headed for the spiral staircase, pointing her wand at the floor behind her. The three men chasing her immediately lost their balance, slippering around as though standing on ice before eventually crashing.  
A triumphant smile spread across her perfectly painted lips. Panting, she ran back towards the entrance before heading right, into what looked like a large library.  
There she was met by flashes of green, red, white and blue shooting at her from every direction. Matilda laughed, blocking what she expected had been a cruciatus curse, elegantly stunning the man who had thrown it at her in the process.

Barely having time to catch her breath due to the immense concentration it took not to get killed, Cassie took on two opponents at once eventhough she hadn't exactly planned to do so. One of them, a short, rather skinny young man, almost hit her as she ducked under his raised arm in an attempt to get out of the situation. She wanted to take a look around to locate her allies, but the constant attacking prevented her. The red armchair beside her suddenly flew up into the air, sending wooden splinters and shreds of velvet fabric and padding across the room. Despite all of the yelling, cursing and fighting, she could hear the walls creaking alarmingly loud. Whatever little lifespan the mansion had left would probably have been spent by the end of the battle.

'I knew you'd come back!' Samantha Edevane yelled as she spotted Scabior among the mass of duelling witches and wizards.  
He immediately turned his full attention towards her, ignoring the immobilized man laying by his feet. A flash of red shot from her raised wand, which he managed to block just in time.  
The move reminded him of the unbearable pain and agony he had experienced during those excruciatingly slow seconds he had been subjected to her torture. An experience he was not too keen on reliving.  
He jumped over a surprisingly enough, untouched coffee table as he without aiming properly, tried to hit her with a stunning spell. The table unfortunately met its ending a few moments later however, when a woman crashed upon it after an impressive flight across the room.

'_Avada kedavra_!' a deep voice bellowed somewhere behind Matilda as she ducked just as a flash of green shot mere inches above her hair.  
Despite the situation, she was shocked to hear the words. That someone actually wanted her dead. She cast a glance over her shoulder, locating the source of the, to say the least, unfriendly uttering. A tall, dark-skinned man strutted towards her, grinning widely as they locked eyes. He was quite handsome, with sharp features and a clean shave. Such a shame he had tried to kill her a couple of seconds ago.  
Apparently he was thinking the same thing, as he cleared his throat and gave her a once-over.  
'I must say, you look good.' the man chuckled as she took a step back. 'Must be hard to keep up the flawlessness in times such as these though.'  
A sudden explosion near them briefly snatched his attention.  
Feeling a strong resilience against the looks that would normally sweep her off her feet, she raised her wand.  
'_Pertrificus Totalus_!' she yelled just as he turned to face her again.  
Delighted, Matilda stepped over his locked body as soon as it hit the floor. Eventhough the rest of his face was completely emotionless, his brown eyes screamed of panic and infuriation as they followed every confident step she took.  
'I try.' she whispered with a strange half grin, half snarl on scarlet red lips.  
As if to prove a point, she put the few strands of auburn hair that had wriggled out of her plait, back in place before moving on.

Scabior hastily scanned his surroundings as the force of Samantha's spells against his protection wards caused him to stagger backwards. From the corner of his eye he could see Matilda duelling a middle-aged woman with a slight limp in her walk. A number of bodies were scattered across the floor, all of them either unconscious or paralyzed. The feeling of exhaustion increased with each blow, something his persistent opponent immediately noticed. The scrawny, spiky-haired woman let out a hoarse laughter as he almost tripped over a broken chair.  
'Just give up now and save yourself the embarrassment!' she taunted, breathing heavily.  
The uttering somehow infused him with a kick of energy, reminding him of the gravity of the situation. He looked into her gleaming eyes, snarling as he took a step forward. Now it was her turn to defend herself as Scabior cast a number of curses at her. Her grin turned into a snarl as she was forced back, nearly stumbling over the rabble on the floor.

'_Rictusempra_!' Cassie growled angrily, which was quite the contrast to what happened with the man who was struck by the silvery jet of light emerging from her wand.  
He burst out in a slightly nasal laughter, his body twitching and jerking as though tickled by invisible hands. When he was completely distracted, the severity once again reminded them of its presence. With another wave of her wand, the man fell to the ground unconscious.  
As he was no longer able to fight, it enabled her time to look around before once again being assaulted. This time by a tall woman in her own age accompanied by a buff older man. There were only a handful of opponents left. Three against sixteen had become three against four. She felt a sudden wave of pride, a growing part of her thankful that the Ministry had refused to assign any aurors to the case.  
A man crashed against the wall, collapsing as his eyes closed from the painful impact. Matilda appeared within the mist of dust, somehow still looking impeccable. Three against three.  
Cassie smiled faintly as the stylish secretary placed herself beside her.  
'Nice to see you.' she said as yet another fight commenced.  
To think she would ever be happy to see a Ministry official.

After having duelled for what seemed like an eternity of eternities, it was beginning to affect Scabior's ability to keep up. The annoyingly satisfied grin on Samantha's face was practically begging for him to snap. She threw yet another blast of red his way, once again having the upper hand. The windows shook violently as the walls trembled from the many deflected spells. Amazingly enough the old shack was still standing. Completely devastated, but still standing. He found himself standing in a corner, no way out besides winning the fight.  
She laughed victoriously. 'This is the end of you, snatcher.'  
He frowned, the comment hitting a nerve. Snatcher. He shook his head, smirking. No.  
'Expelliarmus!'  
Samantha's grin instantly faded as her wand was knocked out of her hand. Her confidence and feeling of superiority had been replaced by anxiety. Scabior cocked his head, shrugging casually.  
The moment the frantic woman delved for her wand was the moment he flicked his. Her body instantly froze, landing amongst the rabble with a loud bang as if it was made out of solid stone.

Matilda and Cassie's opponents were defeated simultaneously, joining the rest of their knocked out gang spread across the place. Matilda turned to her ally with a warm smile, holding up her hand.  
'High five!' she said joyously. 'I that not Muggles celebrate victory?'  
Cassie instinctively returned the gesture, a confounded expression on her sooty face. 'Sometimes.' she mumbled in a monotone voice, staring at the happy witch infront of her. There seem to be no end to her surprises.  
Matilda began to collect their enemies' wands.  
'I must say it is quite genius. It is so simple, yet so incredibly fun!' she almost squeaked, investigating a note she had found beneath a piece of a wall.  
Cassie couldn't help but laugh, finding Matilda's fascination incredibly amusing.  
It was quite bizarre to see so many immobilized bodies laying in a completely devastated livingroom. Some of them were still conscious, their eyes anxiously following the trio's movements. To make sure none of them would be able to overhear anything, they stupefied all foes still awake.  
'I say this went quite well despite the odds.' Matilda chirped, somehow managing to carry all sixteen wands in her arms. 'How about we call it a day and head home?'  
'But what about-' Cassie began, but was instantly interrupted.  
'Oh some guards will be here any minute to collect them and bring them into custody.' the secretary informed, looking around to figure out what to do with the wands.

Scabior's eyes were fixed at Samantha's blank face. He had to admit, she had given him a run for his galleons. He was hit with a stab of both joy and anger as he looked at her spiky, unwashed blond hair. He felt satisfied to have beaten her, but at the same time mad at her for blaming him for her lover's death.  
She had stood there, witnessed how Edgar's curse had rebounded and still she put the blame on the person who had only protected himself. His eyes narrowed. But at the same time, Samantha's unreasonable reasoning was completely reasonable.  
She had lost someone dear to her. No matter how despicable of a person Edgar had been and the fact that he wouldn't have died if they had ignored their thoughts of vengeance, the most logical reaction would still be to blame it on whom he had been duelling.  
Scabior huffed as he thought back on his time as a snatcher. It seemed that era of his life would come back to haunt him wherever he went.

'Not so fast, bitch.' a male voice suddenly growled as Matilda walked towards the fireplace in order to open a connection to the floo network.  
She, Scabior and Cassie turned around in unison, startled by the sudden uttering.  
It happened in the blink of an eye. A man walking into the room, a white light erupting from the tip of his wand before he disapparated with a foul grin on his thin lips.

Matilda immediately collapsed, her blue eyes closing as she hit the ground. At once Cassiopeia ran to her, kneeling at her side. She gently patted her soft cheek, trying to make contact.  
'Matilda?' she called out worriedly as Scabior's black leather boots appeared in the corner of her eye.  
'Do you know what spell he used?' She asked as he crouched down.  
'No.' he mumbled quietly as he stared at the motionless secretary.  
She glanced up at him before resuming her attempts to get a reaction.  
'Wake up.' she said sternly, but there came no answer.  
Matilda's skin seemed to have become paler, her body limp as they tried to hoist her up into a sitting position.  
'We need to get her to the hospital.' Cassie said gravely, looking at the fireplace.

* * *

Author's note: Phew! Wizarding battles are difficult to write, atleast for me. I hope I did alright through. xD


	14. Chapter 13

**Chocolate and despicable mints**

Wednesday mornings at St Mungo's hospital were no different from the rest of the week. Busy and slightly chaotic. Staff rushing in and out of rooms and lifts, running up and down seemingly endless flights of stairs. Visitors constantly came and went. Some crying, some laughing and some, completely expressionless as they tried to avoid bumping into anyone on their way.  
Scabior and Cassie watched as an old woman with large, green blisters all over her body passed by, guided by a rather nervous-looking young man.  
They looked at the signs above the doors, searching for a particular number. The narrow corridor was unusually empty, no sounds besides their shoes hitting the floor and a light coughing from one of the many rooms.  
They stopped infront a door with the number 11 written above it. Cassie reached for the handle, opening it slowly.

'Make sure they send all of the files as soon as possible. I want them within the hour.' Matilda said sternly to the short, chubby man she was talking to.  
Eventhough she was laying in a bed at St Mungo's, wearing the standard white hospital robes and her skin much paler than usual, she still looked impeccable. Her lips were painted in a dark shade of purple that enhanced the colourless impression of her face, her hair was put up in an elegant side ponytail held together with a violet bow. The piercing blue eyes were framed by black eye shadow, giving the woman a rather dark but surprisingly suiting look.  
'Yes, madam.' the man answered with a swift nod, trembling faintly due to his apparent anxiety.  
She hoisted herself up, leaning her back against the pillow. 'And Benedict,' she began as her assistant turned around.  
'Madam?' he responded, adjusting his round glasses.  
'Tell the staff to do something about this awful gown. It does not exactly speak to me, if you know what I mean.' Matilda ordered, tugging at the white fabric covering her body.  
Benedict nodded with closed eyes. 'Of course, madam.' he said with a low voice before once again walking to the door with short, hurried steps.  
As soon as it closed behind him, she turned towards her visitors, holding out her arms as a warm smile spread across her lips. 'Ah, there you are!' she exclaimed joyously as they sat down on the two chairs by her bed.  
'How are you feeling?' Cassie asked, leaning closer.  
Matilda heaved a dramatic sigh, looking at her with puppy eyes. 'Could be better, I admit. The Ministry keeps sending me these awful mints.' she said as she reached for a bowl of pastilles wrapped in green paper, inviting them to take a few.  
Scabior gladly took a handful, whereas Cassie, who stared at the green wrappings suspiciously, barely dared to take one.  
Matilda watched their expressions change into ones of disgust and revulsion as they chewed the sticky candy.  
'Like I said, awful. It is as if they are trying to kill me or something.'

After spitting the dreadful mint into a nearby rubbish bin and throwing away the ones in his hand, Scabior turned to look at her.  
'I am guessing you wonder what is going to happen to you now?' Matilda asked, raising an eyebrow.  
He nodded, watching her put the bowl back on the bedside table.  
'Well, you have two choices at the moment.' she began, grabbing a chocolate bar. 'Either you track down the bastard who did this to me and bring him to the Ministry, where I personally shall see to him.' her hold tightened, almost squeezing the bar to pieces. 'Or,' she continued as her grips softened. 'you can head back to Azkaban.'  
There was a short pause as they locked eyes. 'The choice is yours.'  
Scabior resisted the urge to huff. The choice was so simple it wasn't really a choice. He was sick of running errands for the Ministry and he hated the hold they had on him. But between catching a wanted man and rotting away in prison, he really didn't have much of an option.  
'If, and when you manage to capture him, your fate will be decided through trial.' Matilda informed between her chews, knowing his choice.  
'As for you, Miss Parker.' she said as she turned her attention to Cassie, leaving him alone with his thoughts.  
'Considering how deep involved you have been in this case, I suggest you stick with it to the very end.'

A look of surprise crossed Cassie's freckled face for a split second. The uttering had been unexpected, yet a part of her had suspected it. Eventhough crime fighting for a long time had been a dream, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being used.  
A feeling that weighed heavier than being able to make a difference in the wizarding world. She didn't much appreciate potentially risking her life for the Ministry, or carry out the missions they themselves for some reason didn't feel like carrying out. Besides, couldn't the aurors simply capture the man instead?  
'But what about the aurors?' she questioned.  
Matilda cleared her throat as she reached for another chocolate bar.  
'The aurors are busy at the moment.' she answered shortly, the cold tone in her voice making it clear that she didn't want to discuss the subject further.  
'If you've neglected to notice, I already have a job.' Cassie said stubbornly, persisting on being told the truth.  
'Your current employer has been informed.'  
Sensing there was no point in arguing she gave up, quelling a groan as she watched Matilda eat her chocolate a little too cheerfully for Cassie to accept. It irritated her immensely that this was the way they were repaid for saving her life. The Ministry seemed more unjust by the second. Just like those disgusting mints, it looked inviting but was pure rubbish beneath its pretty surface.  
She glanced at Scabior. He looked equally annoyed, although he managed to masquerade it quite well beneath an expression of boredom. But his fingers drumming against his thighs gave him away. The beat was a little too aggressive to be counted as just normal, although it was barely noticeable.  
Without further a due, Cassie rose from her seat. She had had enough of Matilda and her indifference.  
She didn't want to admit it, but she had actually liked the secretary, which only increased the feeling of disappointment. Scabior stood up a split second after her, heading for the door without as much as a glance at Matilda.

The held in frustration was let out as soon as the door closed behind them. With quick, loud steps they walked down the corridor, eyes fixed on the staircase at the far end of it.  
'How are we supposed to find the bastard anyway?' Cassie muttered fumingly.  
Scabior sighed. 'I might 'ave an idea.'  
The sides of their hands suddenly brushed against eachother as a passing doctor forced them to inch closer. The split-second contact sent a jolt through his body, which he sensed she must have felt aswell. They almost halted, shooting a strange glance at one another before once again focusing on the matter at hand.  
They stayed silent until Scabior stopped just outside the entrance of the hospital. 'Meet me in Knockturn alley tonight.' He said in a low voice, locking eyes with her.  
Cassie gave a swift nod as an answer.  
Saying nothing more, the two parted ways.


	15. Chapter 14

**Inklings**

The setting sun painted the walls of the houses orange, the clouds on the horizon in different shades of pink. But no matter the colour of the sky, Knockturn alley still felt utterly unpleasant. Cassie tried to avoid bumping into anyone, thinking how deep of a mess it had created last time. She entered an almost deserted alleyway, her footsteps echoing across it, which didn't exactly help brightening the mood. Considering the fact that there was still some daylight left, she was probably early.  
She had tried to wait longer, but it seemed nearly impossible to be alone in her flat very long since that time Samantha and her gang had come knocking at the door.  
However, standing by the corner of a shop in Knockturn alley, watching an elderly witch pat an invisible cat, she regretted the decision.  
The feeling of a heavy hand on her shoulder made her entire body jerk. Immediately she turned around, heaving a sigh of relief upon noticing who it was.  
Scabior grinned. 'Boo.' he whispered teasingly.  
She slapped his hand away, giving him a hostile glare. 'Not funny.'  
'From my perspective, it was.' he chuckled as they began to walk.  
'So what's your plan?' Cassie asked, momentarily slowing down to stare at a bizarre, purple plant on display in a shop window.  
It seemed to watch her back, closing in as if it reached out for her.  
He cleared his throat, his eyes narrowing as they fixed themselves on something in the distance.  
'Well, it ain't exactly a plan.' he admitted before taking a turn to the left. 'It's more of a notion.'  
She sighed. 'Well, what's your notion then?'

They stopped outside of what appeared to be a small pub. It had quite a menacing exterior, with animal skulls on either side of the door and black windows impossible to see through.  
'Necromancer's head.' she mumbled, reading the slanted writing on the sign by the entrance. 'Charming.'  
'I think I might've seen him 'ere.' Scabior explained, not at all bothered by the somewhat macabre door.  
By now the sky was completely black, the stars obscured by the dim, silvery glow from the streetlamps. A light fog had begun to roll in, further adding to the eerie feeling the scenery created.  
Quickly he opened the heavy door, Cassie following close behind. It slammed shut with a dull thud as they looked around for a place to sit. The air was filled by a thick layer of smoke, laying over the rectangular room like a tobacco-smelling lid.  
Many of the visitors turned their heads, watching their every move with sour expressions on their faces as the conversations died out.  
An old, plump man with a balding head and a thick, grey beard stood behind the bar. He looked at them indifferently, polishing a glass with the ragged piece of white cloth attached to his apron.  
''Ello Rufus.' Scabior said with a nod. 'Two firewhiskeys.' he ordered, watching him bow down to fetch something.  
A series of clanking noises later, Rufus reappeared with a half empty bottle in one hand and two small glasses in the other. After filling them to the brim, Scabior reached into his pocket, taking out a few sickles. The transaction was quick but tense, the two men staring intently at eachother as if they were about to duel.  
Cassie and Scabior headed for the empty booth in the very corner of the pub, sitting down on opposite sides of the black table. He slid her one of the glasses before comfortably leaning against the wall.

'An' now, we wait.' he sighed, downing all of the whiskey in one sip.  
The conversations around them resumed, filling the room with a quiet mumble.  
'What makes you so sure he'll turn up?' Cassie questioned, thinking about how incredibly unlikely it would be for their target to just walk in.  
He took off his leather jacket, revealing a black shirt with rolled up sleeves and on top of it, a dark green vest reminiscent of an old military uniform with loads of buttons. 'Like I said, it's a notion.'  
She watched the silver ring on his right thumb glisten faintly in the light of the candles in the table. He seemed to have noticed, for he looked down at it aswell. His fingers gently tapped against the surface of the table, creating a faint melody as they continued to observe in silence.  
They suddenly locked eyes, looking at eachother with strange expressions. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, his jaw clenching as he for a split second glanced at them before once again making eye-contact. It quickly ended however, both of them looking away simultaneously, feeling the stare had lingered on a little longer than normal.  
Cassie cleared her throat as she cast a glance his way before turning her attention to the firewhiskey infront of her. She downed it hastily, the familiar burning sensation growing in her throat as she put the empty glass back on the table.

Suddenly the door opened, before once again slamming shut. And once again a tense silence spread across the crowd as everyone watched the newcomer with great suspicion.  
It was a man. A man with thin, mousy hair, high cheekbones and dark eyes. He sat down on a rickety barstool, raising his hand to signal Rufus to come over.  
Rufus looked at him bitterly, his upper lip curling somewhere beneath his bushy moustache. Scabior observed them closely, which in turn caused Cassie to do the same. They watched the man take a sip from the glass of beer now in his right hand.  
He was definitely not the one they were looking for which made her wonder why he was of any interest.  
'Snatcher.' Scabior mumbled under his breath.  
They continued to observe him as he finished his drink. He anxiously looked around, as if he knew he was being watched, his feet constantly dragging from side to side against the metal footrest.  
A drop of sweat slowly made its way down the side of his face, increasing the nervous impression. He shot a glance their way. A moment later the man turned his head towards them to get a better look. His eyes widened, immediately looking the other way. No more than a few seconds passed before he rose from his seat, took a couple coins out of his pocket and left them on the counter. With hurried steps he headed for the door. They quickly stood up, determined not to let him out of their sight.

As soon as they stepped outside, Scabior drew his wand and aimed it at the running man. He suddenly stopped moving, as though held back by an invisible hand.  
Casually Scabior strutted towards him, a mischievous grin on his lips.  
'Oi, John!' he called out as the man was pushed up against a brick wall. 'It ain't polite to run away from someone who wants to chat.'  
The man smiled nervously, trembling with fear.  
'Hi Scab.' he stuttered, not daring to make eye-contact  
Scabior lightened his hold, sliding his wand back into his pocket. 'I'm lookin' for a man.' he explained with a low voice  
'Who?' John asked, slightly calmer as looked at Cassie quizzically.  
Scabior gripped the collar of the John's jacket, immediately catching his attention again. 'Tall, dark hair, stubble, green eyes.' he mumbled mundanely, watching the man struggle to keep a straight face.  
There was a short silence, a flock of birds flying above them.  
'I- I think I need more than that to go on.' John finally dared to utter.  
Scabior let go of him, leaning against the wall as he looked up at the sky. 'Part of a group of ex-snatchers, same as Samantha Edevane.'  
John shrugged. 'Sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know who it is'" he said quietly.  
Cassie looked from one man to the other as frequently as if they were playing a game of Ping-Pong.  
Scabior huffed. 'Oh, common John. It's not nice to lie.' he chuckled, crossing his arms.  
'Fine, fine!' John instantly exclaimed, raising his arms in the air. 'There's one man who fits your description. Peter. Peter Fletcher.'  
'An' where can I find this Peter Fletcher?' Scabior inquired, turning to look at him.  
'Last I heard, he's staying at the Hog's Head after some Ministry agents destroyed their headquarters.' the man explained, once more daring to look at Cassie, a barely noticeable smirk playing on his lips. 'But you didn't hear it from me.' he added, looking frightened again.  
Scabior suddenly patted his shoulder, a move that caused the man to almost jump out of pure fright. 'Of course not, John.' he said before letting him head off.

John walked away with such speed it seemed as though he any second would break into a sprint. As he disappeared into the fog, Cassie glanced at Scabior.  
'I'm guessing we're paying a visit to Hogsmeade.' she mumbled as she peered into the distance.  
He nodded with a smirk. 'Tomorrow.'  
'I'll meet you outside of Honeyduke's at dawn.' she said firmly as they locked eyes.  
They fell silent for a moment, although neither of them really knew why. It was if they simply didn't bother to continue the conversation immediately, observing eachother's faces with completely unreadable expressions instead. The old lady who had been busy patting an invisible cat reappeared, passing them by with as she watched them with a scrutinising gaze whilst muttering something under her breath.  
'Tomorrow, then.' Scabior suddenly said as she disappeared into the milky fog.  
Cassie nodded as they slowly took a step away from eachother. 'Tomorrow.'

* * *

Author's note: Thank you so much for reviewing, I hope that you'll continue to read! :)


	16. Chapter 15

**The black wardrobe**

The air felt cold and crisp, drops of dew glistening in the early morning light. A grey mass of clouds were visible on the horizon, a reminder of the downpour from the night that had passed. Cassie took a deep breath as she looked at Honeydukes, licking her lips at the sight of all the sweets visible through the shop window.  
Since it was so early, the main street was completely empty besides a small, brown owl outside of the post office, and a man sitting on a bench reading _The Daily Prophet_.  
Squinting, she tried to read the headlines, wondering when Scabior would arrive.  
As if on queue, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Instantly she looked up, noticing a figure in the distance.  
They locked eyes as a small smirk appeared on his face.  
The man on the bench peered over the edge of the newspaper, watching them for a couple of seconds before once again returning to his reading.  
'Mornin'.' Scabior said as he slowed down, stopping a few feet away.  
They began to walk in a leisurely pace, leaving Honeydukes behind them to Cassie's great displeasure. Their eyes travelled along the exteriors of the many houses as they subconsciously inched closer to one another.

Eventually The Hog's Head materialized in the distance, looking dingy and rundown next to its neighbouring buildings. A wooden sign hung from a metal bar attached to its stone wall, a red hog was painted on it with the name of the pub beneath.  
The rusty chains attaching it to the bar squeaked as the wind made the sign sway back and forth. Scabior looked at it as they closed in, reading it eventhough he already knew what it said.  
Suddenly, a thin hand with cold fingertips took a gentle hold around his wrist. The action somewhat startled him and he turned to look at Cassie with a puzzled expression which caused them to briefly lock eyes.  
Immediately noticing his apparent confusion, she let go of him and increased the distance between them slightly. Scabior looked down at her hand, reaching out for it as they continued their journey. He held it firmly, their fingers intertwining as she cast a wary glance at him.  
'Let's get this overwith.' He mumbled as he drew her closer.  
Scabior looked forward again, the warmth of the touch spreading throughout his body.  
By now, they had gotten to the entrance but neither of them reached out to open the door. Instead they stood still, holding hands as they stared at it.  
From the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint smile crossing her lips for a moment. It might have been there for a mere second, but the image clung to his thoughts.  
Everything around them was silent besides the chains, the cold winds and the sound of their calm breathing.

But the moment quickly came to an end as the reason for their visit once again crossed their minds. Reluctantly, Cassie let go of him before taking a small step forward in order to open the door. The pub was completely empty, the chairs put up on the sturdy wooden tables as a broom drearily swept the floor on its own.  
Behind the bar stood a broad, tall older man with a long, silvery beard and piercing blue eyes. Aberforth Dumbledore, a man she hadn't seen since her days at Hogwarts.  
They met eachother's gaze as she closed in.  
'Goodmorning Abe.' she said with a smile, leaning against the counter.  
He blinked, a look of surprise and shock on his face for a moment before he responded. 'Cassiopeia?'  
She nodded.  
'Merlin's beard you've grown!' he exclaimed, giving her a quick once-over before rushing to her side of the counter in order to give her a short, brisk hug.  
'Well you know, it's been a few years.' Cassie chuckled, glad to see he was still alive and well. 'Listen,' she began in a lower, graver voice. 'we're looking for a man, Peter Fletcher. Is he staying here?'  
Aberforth cleared his throat, looking around cautiously. 'Yes he is.' he confirmed whispering, glancing at the staircase on the other side of the room.  
He nodded towards it. 'First door on the left.'  
'Thank you.' she said warmly before looking at Scabior. 'Let's go.'

The stairs creaked beneath their feet as they ascended. Upon reaching the second floor, they raised their wands, the bright light erupting from them guiding the way through the dark corridor. They halted infront of the first door to the left. Strangely enough it wasn't closed, but slightly ajar. Scabior pushed it open carefully, scanning the shabby room for any signs of movement.  
The bed was empty, its red sheets in a mess, one of the pillows on the dusty floor. Daylight somehow managed to shine through the grimy window, shedding some well needed light on the unclean environment. With cautious steps they entered, searching the area with narrowed eyes.  
Empty. Not a sign of Peter Fletcher, or anyone else for that matter.  
Cassie let out a disheartened sigh, fixing her gaze on the uneven bedside table. There was an opened letter laying dangerously close to the edge.  
'He must've left in a hurry.' she mumbled pensively.  
Scabior's eyes trailed the floorboards, faint footsteps visible in the thick layer of dust.  
He followed them from the entrance to the bed. Then, the prints turned into a large clatter by the bedside table, impossible to decipher.  
Just as Cassie was about to take a closer look at the letter, the sound of something breaking caught her attention. It seemed to have come from the corridor.  
'Stay here, I'll check it.' Scabior ordered with a hushed voice, pushing her back with his free hand as she tried to take a step towards the exit.  
The witch frowned, not liking being left out of the action but decided to stay put. This was not the time to argue. He walked out of the room, the door closing behind him with a barely perceptible thud.  
Attentively, she listened for any sounds of struggle, or any sounds at all for that matter. But nothing could be heard except her own breathing which in the heavy silence seemed much louder than usual. Cassie raised her wand, her concentrated gaze fixed on the handle.  
She expected the door to be opened any second, or burst open in case Peter Fletcher had decided to make an appearance afterall. The silence was getting on her nerves, making her uneasy. Why wasn't he back yet?

Just as the question had crossed her mind, the door flung open. Scabior walked in with an unreadable expression on his face as he stumbled into the room.  
'It's him. 'E's downstairs, an' he's brought company.' he said as they looked at eachother, pacing back and forth with a slight jerk to his steps. 'We're gonna need backup. But they've blocked all the exits, there's no way of gettin' out without getting' spotted.'  
Cassie's eyes widened, her hand briefly covering her mouth out of pure shock.  
They were in no way near going to be able to fight a larger group of people, let alone a bunch of aggravated witches and wizards that were no doubt more than angry about the happenings at the mansion.  
'Oh my god!' she gasped. 'What do we do?' she asked with a slightly frantic tone in her voice, watching him intently as she desperately tried to come up with some sort of plan.  
As she did, Scabior suddenly tucked away his wand, not seeming the least worried about what was waiting for them outside of the room. A pleased smirk spread across his lips and it didn't take more than a few seconds until he was laughing.  
'What's so funny?'  
He looked at her with an amused expression on his face as he took deep breath in order to collect himself.  
'I'm only kiddin'. Peter ain't 'ere, nor any of his friends. It was just a rat.' he explained chuckling. 'I couldn't help myself, it was a golden opportunity.'  
She scowled, quelling an urge to hex him for managing to almost scare her to death.

Then, just as they were about to leave, there was another noise. It sounded remarkably like footsteps, and to their great surprise it didn't come from the other side of the door. Instead, it seemed to be coming from the black wardrobe by the window.  
They watched it attentively, awaiting another sign as their grip around their wands tightened. It was as though time went in slow motion as they stared at it, an almost touchable tension filling the air.  
The wardrobe gave away a tortured squeak, confirming the presence of whatever was inside. All of the sudden it's door flung open, an angry man jumping out of it like a predator.  
'_Incarcerous_!' he bellowed as he waved the wand in his left hand violently, a long rope flying across the tiny room before they had time to react.  
Cassie fell to the floor, gasping for air as the rope wrapped itself around her throat. Desperately her hands tried to rip it off, scratching and tugging frenetically but it was of no use.  
Scabior snarled, immediately retaliating against the man he had now recognized as Peter Fletcher. His attacking was enough of a distraction for Peter to loose focus on Cassie, the rope growing weaker.  
This enabled her to tear it off before it disappeared and evaporated in to nothingness as she stood up on unsteady legs, catching her breath.  
Sparks flew everywhere, small explosions going off every other second as a result of deflected spells. Peter staggered backwards from the force of shielding himself from his two opponent's attacks, quickly reaching a corner.  
Realizing his appending loss, he aimed at the window which exploded shortly after, sending shards of glass in every direction. Cassie could hear Scabior swearing under his breath but she didn't think much of it. The shards had paused the fight for a moment, a moment Peter had used to jump through the window, landing with a dull thud on the ground.  
'No!' Cassie yelled, heading after him with Scabior following close behind.

They chased him across a vast meadow, a strong headwind slowing them down immensely. The pace of the run still almost caused them to trip over the many stones and twigs hidden beneath the tall grass. Every few seconds, Peter cast an anxious glance over his shoulder as he without aiming tried to hit his pursuers with a variety of curses.  
The field gradually began to slope, getting steeper and steeper which further complicated the hunt. The distance between them was increasing, something that infuriated Cassie beyond words. There was no way she was going to let the man escape. After almost slipping on a patch of loose rabble, she drew her wand.  
'_Impedimenta_!' she growled, a flash of silvery light shooting towards her target.  
The force of the spell was enough to practically rip the man from the ground, ruthlessly throwing him through the air. With a painful crashing noise Peter landed, rolling a few feet before eventually stopping. He laid motionless, face down as she closed in.  
Cassie put her left foot up on his back, the sole of her boot hard against his spine. 'Enough.' She panted, looking at him gravely as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead.  
A blast of red shot from her wand, Peter's eyes fluttering shut as soon as it hit him.  
Scabior sat down on the ground somewhere behind her.  
'Well, that wasn't too difficult.' he chuckled as she confiscated Peter's wand.

She turned around, immediately noticing the shard of glass sticking out of a gash on Scabior's right thigh. Blood was pouring out of it, staining the fabric of his chequered trousers. Cassie rushed to his side, kneeling beside him as she placed her hands on his leg.  
'We need to take care of that before we go anywhere.' she mumbled as she looked at the wound and carefully took a hold of the shard.  
He winced slightly at the action, but allowed her to continue. She looked up at him for a moment and nodded faintly before returning her attention to the glass. Swiftly, she dragged the shard out of the wound.  
'Bloody hell!' he hissed through gritted teeth, watching her draw her wand.  
She pointed it at the bleeding gash, a faint, golden light spreading over it. The blood instantly dried up, the cut gradually fading into nothing more than a barely noticeable scar.  
'There, much better.' Cassie said cheerfully, feeling a sudden wave of gratitude towards her younger self for being so incredibly interested in healing-spells.  
Grey irises met bright-green ones as they looked at eachother in silence. Slowly, they leaned closer to eachother, whereupon she suddenly realized that her hand was still resting on his thigh. After letting out a somewhat nervous chuckle, she withdrew it, running it through her hair as she sat down.  
Scabior cleared his throat, focusing on the unconscious man at their feet.  
'Perhaps we ought to bring 'im in.' he said as he stood up.  
Cassie rose from her seat, looking down at Peter Fletcher's smudged face. 'Let's get to it.' she said with a low voice, wondering what would happen once they reached the Ministry.


	17. Chapter 16

**Vicious vegetation**

The sound of quick footsteps against marble floor tiles silenced the entire department of magical law enforcement and crime fighting. Every face turned towards the pair of pale feet creating the sound, and the bright orange leather loafers that they wore. Matilda nodded at the many people she passed, all of them greeting her with bowing or a rather nervous smiles. She let out a content sigh before handing Benedict, who was currently focused on keeping up with her hasty pace, the binder in her right hand.  
'Give this to Martin, tell him I need it back on my desk no later than twelve.' she ordered, enjoying every step of her walk.  
Benedict nodded swiftly, holding the binder in his arms with great care as he held his head up high. 'It shall be done, madam.'  
Matilda smirked, making sure not a single strand of her curled hair was out of place in a floating mirror that seemingly had appeared out of nowhere. 'Good.'  
Infront of a grand, black door she stopped, turning around on the spot with her left hand on her waist. Her gleaming blue eyes looked at her chubby assistant.  
'And, Benedict?' she purred.  
'Yes, madam?' he asked gravely, making sure all of the parchments in the file were perfectly inline.  
'Nice tie, that cheerful shade of green is quite refreshing.' she complimented earnestly before facing the door again.  
He blushed, quickly clearing his throat in order to return regain composure. 'Why, thank you madam.' he said in a voice slightly darker than normal before heading off.

With a beaming smile she entered her office, greeted by a coat hanger that immediately took care of her scarlet, fur coat. She glanced at the three individuals standing by her desk as she sat down in her armchair. Scabior had a rather blasé expression on his unshaven face as he watched her with his grey eyes. His unkempt hair was put up in a sloppy plait, a black bow keeping it together. To his right stood a man who was practically fuming with anger, constantly twitching and jerking in an attempt to escape the hold of his captors.  
Then, Matilda's eyes travelled to Cassie. Her jeans and boots were stained with mud, as was the lining of her black trenchcoat. She looked tired, letting out a yawn as the man continued to snarl.  
'Here he is, Peter Fletcher.' Cassie said with a low voice as she met her curious gaze.  
'Wonderful!' the secretary exclaimed joyously, clapping her hands together before drawing her wand.  
At the flick of it, two bookshelves to their right parted, revealing what appeared to be a broom cupboard. Instantly, the man was snatched from his restrainers as if pulled towards the small room by invisible ropes. He growled and screamed, desperately trying to get a hold of something, the rubber soles of his shoes creating a painful screeching noise as they scraped against the floor. The sound made everyone wince, including Peter himself before the bookshelves ruthlessly concealed both him and the broom cupboard.  
'I will deal with him later.' Matilda said with a malicious grin, returning her attention to her two visitors. 'I must say, you really work fast.'  
Silence came upon them as they looked at eachother.  
'Now, as the capturing of Peter Fletcher closes the case and thus ends this mission, only your trial remains Mr Scabior.' she informed, crossing her arms and legs simultaneously, the fabric of her orange suit following her movements smoothly. 'Which, in case you were wondering, will be held tomorrow. At one o'clock to be more precise.'  
Scabior nodded, not knowing how else to respond.  
'Well, I guess I'm no longer needed then.' Cassie said with a sigh, glad to finally being able to return to Magical Menagerie.  
Matilda chuckled. 'Now hold on there, Miss Parker. You must be present at the hearing.'  
Cassie froze, her eyes widening in shock. 'What?' she stuttered, completely bamboozled. 'Why?'  
'Given your connection to Mr Scabior and your overall involvement in this case, you might be called in as witness. And if you are, it would be much easier if you were already present instead of the Ministry having to send a couple of aurors to escort you.' the secretary explained, watching Cassie's expression change from shocked and questioning, to completely blank.  
'I've had quite enough of Ministry escorts, thank you.' Cassie huffed, a frown appearing on her face for a short moment.  
'I figured as much.' Matilda mumbled cheekily, slightly pursing her lips. 'And-'

The door flung open, a short, plump man with his hands waving frantically in the air running into the office.  
'Madam!' he, who Scabior recognized as Benedict, shouted. 'Madam!'  
Matilda rose from her seat, putting her hands on her desk. 'What on earth is the matter, Benedict?' she asked in a strange mixture of alarm and curiosity.  
'Madam,' her terrified assistant began, stopping to catch his breath. 'It is Martin, those strange, Icelandic plants of his have eaten the entire binder!'  
She gasped. 'No!'  
Benedict nodded, wiping off the sweat pearling on his forehead off with a white piece of cloth. 'Yes, I am afraid it is a matter of the utmost urgency since those vicious beasts has now began to devour various furniture and other material in the room. Martin himself barely managed to escape!'  
Matilda took a deep breath and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking at Scabior and Cassie.  
'I will see you both tomorrow, you can see yourself out. If you excuse me, I have a rather pressing matter on my hands.' she said sternly, nodding at them before darting out of the office with Benedict following close behind like a lemming.


	18. Chapter 17

**The hearing**

A mass of people clad in ridiculously pompous hats and either black or red robes marched in to the courtroom, none of them casting as much as a glance at Scabior, who was escorted in through the doors by two guards. He was led to the lone chair in the middle of the room, uncomfortably far away from everyone else. As he sat down, ropes appeared around the arms of it, tying him down. He raised an eyebrow. What did they expect him to do, run away?  
'Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot,' the man sitting behind the black rostrum said mundanely. 'we are gathered here this twentieth of August for the hearing of Sebastian Scabior, currently resident of a safe house provided by the Ministry.' he continued, looking down at him with an arrogant expression on his wrinkled face. 'The accused is currently on a life sentence for crimes committed during the Second Wizarding War, during which he made his living as a snatcher. He has for the past few months however, been on parole from Azkaban in order to assist the Ministry in the capture of some of his former accomplices.' there was a short pause as all of the individuals on the stands leaned forward to get a closer look at the man in question.  
'This mission however, ended yesterday with the capture of the last known member of the group, Peter Oswald Fletcher. Thus the meaning of this hearing is to determine whether the accused is to return to Azkaban, or be released as a result of his good behaviour aswell as his acts of bravery during the battle of Hogwarts. Interrogator, Eugene Rodolphus Abbott, Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic.'  
Scabior looked up, finding a familiar face in the midst of the ocean of silly headwear. Matilda, who was sitting next to the undersecretary, smiled widely as the two locked eyes. To the occasion she was of course wearing the mandatory set of robes, but had still managed to put her own twist to it in form of a black, satin flower attached to the hat. Unsurprisingly enough, she managed to pull it off quite well.  
The stern clearing of a throat caught his attention however, and he once again turned to face his interrogator. Eventhough this hearing was necessary, he already knew the outcome. Azkaban.

'Do you, Mr Scabior, deny any of your actions during the Second Wizarding War?' Eugene asked, his bellowing voice echoing across the silent room.  
Scabior faintly shook his head. 'No.'  
'Do you thus concur that you were during said war, part of a group of snatchers led by the werewolf known as Fenrir Greyback?'  
'Yes.'  
'And do you thereby also admit that you have snatched several Muggle-born witches and wizards?'  
'Yes, which I brought to this very Ministry, who paid me for 'em.' Scabior said with a slight smirk playing on his lips.  
A murmur of shocked whispers and gasps went across the court, Eugene's face turning red to the point where Scabior thought there might be smoke coming out of his ears.  
'The Ministry of Magic was during that time infiltrated by agents of The Dark Lord-'  
'You mean Voldemort?' Scabior interrupted, seeing no point in being polite.  
'Enough!' the beyond infuriated undersecretary roared, trembling as he stared into his grey eyes. 'Those who seized control of the Ministry on The Dark Lord's behalf, have been brought to justice.'

* * *

Cassie looked at the door, then at the guard sitting on the bench on the opposite side of the corridor, then back at the door again. Her feet nervously tapped against the floor, creating an anxious and quite annoying beat. She wondered how long it would take before she was called in, if they would even call her in at all, that was. The thought of facing the Wizengamot was to say the least, intimidating. What was she supposed to say anyway?  
'Oh for Merlin's sake, woman!' the guard suddenly groaned, looking up from her copy of what appeared to be a Quidditch magazine, sick of the constant drumming. 'Stop your fidgeting, will you?' she continued, a frown on her oval face.  
Cassie rolled her eyes, her upper lip curling as she reluctantly stopped. Why had they sent a guard to watch her? She didn't exactly have any plans to go anywhere at the moment. She cast a glance at the door again, wondering what was transpiring on the other side.

* * *

Matilda cleared her throat, making everyone's head to turn towards her. 'Excuse me, Eugene,' she began with a soft tone. 'But are we not supposed to primarily focus on his recent service to the Ministry, aswell as his efforts at the battle of Hogwarts?' she questioned, smiling gleefully at the undersecretary, who's face had regained its usual colour.  
Eugene blinked, as if the question was completely irrelevant. 'Well, yes, of course.' he chuckled somewhat nervously. 'Of course, Matilda.'  
'Good. I was beginning to think that I might have come to the wrong hearing.' she said, sighing contently before giving Scabior a discrete wink.  
Upon noticing it, a small spark of hope ignited within Scabior's chest. Perhaps she had some sort of winning strategy up her sleeve? However, the spark quickly faded as he contemplated further. No matter how smooth of a debater Matilda was, the chances of her actually convincing the rest of the Wizengamot to rethink his case were insignificantly small.  
'A student at Hogwarts stated after the battle, that you had saved her life by attacking Fenrir Greyback. Is that correct?' Eugene inquired with an annoying tone of superiority in his voice.  
'Yes.' Scabior mumbled.  
It really hadn't been his intention to act hero and save the girl, but he felt he didn't quite need to mention that part of the story.  
'I am sure that I am not alone in my curiosity as to why you chose to do it. Fenrir Greyback was afterall your superior at the time.' the undersecretary continued. 'But the peculiarity does not stop there, I understand you were seen fighting against the followers of The Dark Lord from the very moment you entered Hogwarts that night. Why?'  
Scabior moved in his seat, looking at his boots. Despite the fact that the battle had taken place nearly four years ago, he hadn't once thought about his actions.  
'I-' he began, really not knowing how to continue the sentence.  
Thankfully, Matilda cut in. 'Mr Scabior was supposed to invade the school with a large number of other snatchers, by using the bridge a student by the name of Neville Longbottom blew up as they began to cross, thus sending the him and some of his… colleagues to plummet to their own deaths.' she made a short pause for the sake of drama.  
'But as you all can see, Mr Scabior is most certainly alive and well, due to the swift rescue by Miss Cassiopeia Gwyneth Parker.' she explained, another wave of excited murmurs sweeping across the crowd.  
Eugene, now thoroughly confused, turned towards Matilda. 'Who?'  
'Perhaps it is wiser to interrogate her to give further credibility to Mr Scabior's actions of that night.' she proposed. 'And as it happens, many of his actions during his mission for the Ministry aswell. For she has like myself, been closely involved with the case.'  
The undersecretary's expression went from baffled to curious. 'Oh.' he mumbled pensively, watching her nod towards the guard by the door.  
As a woman with a freckly, heart shaped face and wavy blond hair put up in a sloppy, low ponytail was led into the room, the ropes around Scabior's wrists disappearing before he was escorted to the stands. Her bright-green eyes anxiously looked around as she sat down in the chair.  
'Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, Miss Cassiopeia Gwyneth Parker. Currently working at Magical Menagerie.' Matilda introduced before giving the word to the interrogator.

Cassie gulped, trying to gather her thoughts and ignore her blasted nerves. The many individuals staring at her seemed to merge into one, becoming a solid wall of red, black and tall hats. Trying to ignore their scrutiny, she looked at Scabior, who was currently sitting on a completely empty stand part from the two guards restraining him. They briefly locked eyes, looking at eachother with unreadable expressions.  
'Miss Parker, can you confirm any of the supposed actions of Mr Scabior during the battle of Hogwarts?' Eugene asked as she turned to look at him.  
'Yes.' Cassie nodded. 'We fought together practically the entire time.' she added uncertainly, not knowing how much to reveal.  
'Practically?'  
She hesitated for a few, tense seconds. 'Well, after I saved him. Which technically was before the battle had begun, really.'  
'And,' he began with a low voice. 'why exactly did you save him?' he asked, raising an eyebrow. 'A witch such as yourself does not strike me as someone one typically finds in the company in the likes of a man such as the accused.'  
She could her heart pound against her chest, hammering on as she tried to figure out what to say. If she told them the full story, who knew how they would react?  
'Well, he- we-' Cassie stuttered.  
Eugene leaned forward. 'Yes?'  
'He- he had something that I needed.' she said cryptically.  
'And what was that?'  
'A necklace.' she muttered under her breath, hoping he hadn't heard her.  
The undersecretary let out a huffing chuckle, along with a few others. 'A necklace?' he questioned. 'Why would you save such a man solely because of a necklace?'  
She gritted her teeth at the condescending tone in his voice. 'It has been in my family for generations.'  
'And how had he come to acquire such a valued item?' Eugene inquired, returning to seriousness.

In an attempt to figure out how to answer Cassie looked at Scabior, who stared at her with a blank expression, not helping her at all. 'Aren't you supposed to ask me about what he did during the battle?' she questioned to buy some time.  
'Yes, but in order to understand his actions, your connection to eachother will most likely come in handy.' he explained. 'Now I will ask you again, how did he acquire the necklace?'  
Scabior closed his eyes, not bearing to witness the scene. He rubbed his face as the interrogation continued, quelling a sudden urge to laugh.  
'He… stole it from me.' Cassie admitted, looking down at her sneakers.  
Eugene slightly rose from his seat at the unexpected uttering. 'He stole it?'  
'Yes.' she explained rapidly. 'But it's alright, really, it's fine! He gave it back to me, so we're good.'  
'The current situation between the two of you is irrelevant, stealing is against the law. But, seeing as the accused is already sentenced to Azkaban for life, I do not see the point in pursuing that case.' Eugene responded mundanely. 'However, in order to validate this new information, would you be so kind as to describe the necklace?'  
Cassie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, waiting a few seconds before reaching behind her neck to take the necklace off.  
Something seemed to change in the undersecretary's gaze as he spotted it, a flicker of an unidentifiable emotion.  
'Benedict!' he suddenly called out, looking around for any sign of the person in question.  
Before long, a short, plump man came trotting into the middle of the courtroom, placing himself a few feet away from the rostrum. He cleared his throat, straightening his back. 'Yes, Mr Abbott?' he responded curtly.  
'Examine it. You know what we are looking for.' Eugene ordered with a stern tone in his voice that all of the sudden made Cassie very protective of the silver necklace in her hand.  
After a short but aggressive struggle, Benedict had managed to get a hold of it. He took out a small binocular from the chest pocket of his jacket and proceeded to examine the piece of jewellery with extreme preciseness.  
It seemed as though everyone in the room, including himself, held their breath in anticipation.  
'It is indeed, one of the missing items.' he confirmed, putting the binocular back into its previous dwelling.  
The statement made Cassie's stomach jolt. What did he mean, missing?

The expression on Eugene's face was completely unreadable, it looked as though he suddenly had a pressing urge to go to the toilet.  
'This is absolutely atrocious!' he yelled as Benedict handed him the necklace, to Cassie's immense dislike.  
'How have you come to possess this necklace?' he asked, glaring at her with an intensity that almost felt as if he stared into her very soul.  
She snarled, having had quite enough of the obnoxious undersecretary. 'Like I said, it has been in my family for generations.'  
'Even if you speak the truth, it is not by any means rightfully yours.' he muttered angrily, clearly affronted by her tone of voice.  
Cassie gasped, wondering whether or not he was in his right mind. 'Of course it is!'  
'No, it is not.' Eugene retorted raising the necklace into the air. 'This goblin-made necklace was stolen more than a century ago from a vault at Gringotts, by none other than the infamous Rune Master!' he proclaimed loudly, causing an array of shocked gasps to escape the witches and wizards of the Wizengamot.  
She blinked, asking herself if she was dreaming. Who was the Rune Master?  
The undersecretary opened his mouth yet again. 'The Rune Master as you all know, was never captured, not a single one of the many valuable artefacts he stole has ever been found. ' there was a short silence, during which he leaned forward. 'It is indeed very peculiar how the necklace has managed to find its way into the hands of your family.' he said ponderingly. 'But seeing as the artefact in question is actually, stolen, you cannot be allowed to keep it.'  
'I guess I have no say in the matter.' Cassie muttered, frowning as she watched two guards approach to attain the necklace she had gone through so much for to regain.  
But eventhough she was in the middle of a hearing, with her former family heirloom getting carried out of the room, all her thoughts were concentrated on the Rune Master. Therefore, the conversations around her were momentarily ignored by her ears as she chose to concentrate on her own ponderings.

'In the case of Scabior, I see no point in continuing this hearing.' Eugene mumbled.  
Matilda moved in her seat, eager to give her piece of mind. 'Obviously, this is not going anywhere. Perhaps if you let me witness instead-' she began before quickly getting silenced by Eugene's raised hand.  
'Out of the question, Matilda. Eventhough your input is viewed most valuable, it is not needed. The news of this stealth is further proof that this man, no matter his efforts during the battle of Hogwarts nor in service to the Ministry, is not suited for release!' the undersecretary bellowed, an eerie silence coming upon them.  
'Eugene, I beg you to see reason. Think of how useful of a contact this man could be to the Ministry, think of all his ties to the magical underworld!' Matilda intervened, refusing to back down.  
'All the more reason not to release him!' Eugene laughed as he looked around at his colleagues.  
'Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, those in favour of conviction?' he asked.  
Every hand besides Matilda's was raised into the air.  
'But you are not even finished questioning-'  
'As high secretary of the Wizengamot, you ought to know better Miss Hopkins.' Eugene groaned. 'Besides, I do believe the decision is quite unanimous.' he muttered, taking a hold of the club next to his glass of water.  
'Convicted!' he exclaimed as he banged it against the rostrum.

Immediately the members of the court rose from their seats, hurrying out of the room.  
As the guards on Scabior's either side forced him to stand, the realization of what was happening hit him like a boulder. They were going to send him back to Azkaban, where he would spend the rest of his life, locked away in cell 503 with nothing but his own thoughts as company. A sense of panic grew within him, a lump of anxiety in his stomach as he was led out of the courtroom. In the midst of the crowd, he noticed Matilda, storming after the Undersecretary with a frown on her flawless features. Then, as they turned a corner he spotted another familiar face.  
Cassie, much like himself, was being escorted out of the department by two guards. She looked confused, constantly searching her surrounding for anything recognizable.  
Suddenly they locked eyes. Immediately he slowed down as he continued to look at her.

Cassie forced her guards into a halt by refusing to take another step forward. She looked into Scabior's grey eyes, wanting to speak to him. All of the sudden it hit her, that this was the last time they would ever see eachother. By the second, he was pulled further and further away. An unsettling emotion spread throughout her body as she watched him disappear within the mass of strangers, managing to catch a glimpse of the streak of red in his hair before he was completely gone. She wanted him to come back.  
'Scabior!' she called out, her eyes desperately scanning the corridor from left to right.  
There came no response, he was already gone. The guards tried to pull her towards the lifts, but she continued to resist. Their hold on her was beginning to slip, gradually letting her go. As soon as she was completely free, she broke in to a sprint, running down the corridor as she once again called out his name.  
Two other guards, posted on either side of a broad door to the left ran towards her as they noticed her, hindering her from continuing. The other guards were quick to catch up, blocking her view of the corridor as she was dragged away.

* * *

Author's note: I am by no means an expert on wizarding trials, but I hope I did alright atleast. xD  
And The Rune Master has finally made it into the story, so I hope you'll continue reading! :)


	19. Chapter 18

**The Rune Master**

Cassie looked out the window, watching the white clouds slowly wander over the pastel blue sky. One of them somewhat resembled a bird sitting on a whale. She took another sip of her coffee, the hot liquid almost burning her tongue. Slightly frowning, the witch put the cup back on the table and flattened out a bump in the white doily covering the table. A few weeks had passed since the hearing at the Ministry and in Scabior's permanent absence, Cassie had begun to search for information about the Rune Master. She had gone to libraries, visited all bookshops she could think of, she had even returned to the Ministry in her quest for answers.  
But her hunt had so far lead her nowhere, not a single book or document she had gotten her hands on had contained any new information. The people she had talked to hadn't been of much use either, not even the historians at the Ministry.  
The old radio on the kitchen counter played jazz on a low volume. The slightly melancholic trumpet mangled on like a faint echo in the background, accompanied by a more upbeat piano.

'Here it is!' came her great-aunt's raspy voice as the old woman appeared in the doorway.  
With a sway in her steps she closed in, her red, silk kimono smoothly flapping around her scrawny body. Her wrinkled, excessively jewelled hands were clutched around a small, wooden box with intricate carvings on its lid. Gracefully she sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the round table, putting the box in the middle of it.  
Cassie instantly leaned forward, holding in the gasp that had been building in her throat.  
'Is this the box you've been telling me about, Jane?' she asked hopefully, although she already knew the answer.  
Her great-aunt shrugged casually, almost arrogantly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. 'No, it's this other box that just happened to pop in to my mind as you mentioned what you were looking for.' she said, he voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Of course it is the box I've been telling you about.'  
A short silence followed, pierced only by the radio and Jane's many earrings that collided with eachother as soon as she moved her head. Her hands delved into a leather purse that hung over the back of her chair, taking out a lighter and a cigar.  
'Can I borrow it?' Cassie asked eagerly, reaching for the box in question.  
Jane watched the first puff of smoke leave her mouth. 'It's been collecting dust in the attic ever since we moved in. You might aswell keep it.'  
'And it was inside of this you found the necklace?'

Just as her great-aunt was about to answer, an old man walked into the kitchen. The black cane in his left hand hit the blue floor tiles with tedious thumps. His brown eyes narrowed behind his square glasses as he scratched his broad nose with one of his long fingers. His back looked almost painfully arched beneath the fabric of his green coat. A few steps behind him walked a Jack Russell terrier that attentively watched its master, who let out a displeased grunt upon noticing the box on the table.  
'Why've you brought down tha' silly old thing?' the man asked with a curiosity that he tried to hide behind a mask of annoyance.  
Jane sighed, raising one of her filled in eyebrows. 'She wanted to see it.' she replied curtly, making it clear that she had no interest in discussing the matter further.  
The man nodded, looking down at the little dog beside him.  
'I'm takin' Charles fo' a walk.' he informed them before leaving the room at a snail's pace, the dog wagging its short tail cheerfully.

As soon as he disappeared, Jane once again let out a puff of smoke that slowly dissolved as she looked at her grandniece.  
'Yes, Bethilda and I found the box back when we were wee children.' she said pensively, glancing down at the cigar in her hand. 'We fought over the necklace, but she won in the end.'  
'And did anyone tell you where it came from?' Cassie asked, the excitement burning like fire beneath her skin.  
'Our mum said she apparently hadn't known that the necklace was inside of it. Or that she had the necklace in her possession at all.' Jane began, stubbing the remains of her cigar in an ashtray that was in dire need of emptying.  
Cassie could feel her hope fading. It seemed that the Rune Master had gone to great measures in order to assure that his identity would never be revealed.  
'But mum told us that she had inherited it from her mother, who in turn had gotten it as a gift from her husband.'  
Upon hearing this, Cassie's eyes widened in shock. 'But I've always been told that Mary raised your mother on her own!'  
Jane nodded before taking a sip of her coffee. 'We all thought so, until mum told us that Mary infact had had a husband. But for some reason he couldn't stay with her, and left when mum was born. However, they never divorced, and she apparently always spoke very warmly of the man the few times she'd mentioned him. Neil Parker was his name, cowardly bloke if you ask me. To run as soon as there's another mouth to feed.' she said mundanely, glancing at her grandniece who was currently staring pensively at one of the roses in the vase standing on the windowsill.  
'Did she tell you anything else about him, where he had found the box or the necklace, or something like that?'  
'We tried to ask our dear grandmother 'bout the mysterious fellow once or twice, but she barely said anything other than that he was very kind.' Jane mumbled, pouting slightly with her thin lips. 'And that he had been the love of her life. But I suspect there was a great deal more to him than that. The few times she actually told us about him, she seemed to be very careful in his choice of words. Very secretive about her husband as though she was afraid something would happen if she said too much.'  
Cassie sighed, examining the carvings that she now had figured out were runes.  
'As for the items,' her great-aunt began, putting her grey hair up in a sloppy bun as she waltzed over to the radio, turning up the volume.

A cheerful, almost frantic melody filled the room as the old woman began to dance, waving her arms in the air as if performing some kind of ritual. She pointed a finger at her somewhat disheartened grandniece, gesturing her to join her.  
Reluctantly Cassie rose from her seat, the impossibility of getting answers she craved infuriating her immensely.  
'Mary claimed that he had made the box himself!' Jane said, closing her eyes as a dreamy smile spread across her face.  
'What?' Cassie gasped in pure disbelief. Could that mean-  
The old woman threw her red kimono onto the floor, revealing a floral patterned silk pyjama.  
'Yes!' she said as she took her grandniece's hands and spun her into some sort of jitterbug.  
'During one of her weaker moments, she told us that he apparently had a strange fascination with old runes, and that he used to draw them on literary everything.'  
'And there's nothing else you can tell me about him?'  
Jane beamed as the merry music continued to play. 'No, I'm afraid I don't know much else. But she cautioned us to be very careful about the necklace. For what reason, I don't know. But it probably cost a whole fortune back in the day!'  
Cassie's heart beat faster as her feet tried the best they could to follow Jane's quick pace. The thought of her own ancestor being the Rune Master felt completely absurd.  
'Did Mary leave anything else behind?' she asked eagerly.  
Her great-aunt shrugged before pirouetting. 'She might've left behind some old clothes, but no more than that I'm afraid. Why have you become so interested in that necklace all of the sudden? You're not even wearing it!'  
'I just wanted to know more about it, that's all.' Cassie replied with a nervous chuckle just as the old man from before once more came trotting into the kitchen. 'Where would the clothes be if she left any?' she asked as the dog ran past.  
As it jumped up on the livingroom couch, Jane locked eyes with her. 'Up in the attic in among the nooks and crannies I s'pose.'  
'Mind if I take a look?'  
'No, go ahead darling.' her great-aunt laughed, letting go of her with a smirk on her face.  
Just as Cassie was about to exit the room, she heard Jane's raspy voice once more ring through the air.  
'Dance with me, old man!' it said with grave cheerfulness.  
A split second afterwards, something that Cassie suspected was the black cane, fell against the floor tiles with a loud bang.

* * *

A single light bulb was the only light source in the dark attic. A thick layer of dust coated most of the surfaces. Cardboard boxes stood stapled in unsteady piles, some seemingly just a gust of wind from falling. The floor squeaked as Cassie took her first steps forward, squinting in an attempt to see the mess of objects clearer. The air was felt thicker than normal, its stale scent making it clear that the shabby attic was in dire need of a thorough draught. The ceiling was arched at an almost uncomfortably low angle, forcing her into a crouch as she ventured deeper into the maze of forgotten things. The music from the kitchen filled the cramped space with muffled tunes, as if she was trapped in a bubble in water.  
To her right stood a busted mannequin with only half a face. Its remaining eye stared out into nothingness. Along with its eerily emotionless smile the mannequin seemed possessed.  
'Lumos.' Cassie said after drawing her wand and looking away, not wanting to stare at the creepy thing any longer than necessary.  
The bright light gave some much needed comfort, many of the menacing shadows disappearing at its emerge.  
After passing by an empty bookshelf she found herself once again being able to stand up straight, much to her delight. She momentarily halted upon noticing a rack of moth-eaten coats and dresses infront of her. All of them were either in a faded shade of red, grey or black that increased the sense of age and fragility. A small spark of excitement pinched her stomach as she closed in. If she was to find any more information about the mysterious Neil Parker, it was within that rack of clothes.  
Her free hand reached for a grey, long-sleeved dress somewhere near the middle. She coughed as a wave of dust filled the air around her, freed from the fabric by the sudden movement. After giving it a thorough once-over, she put it back, deciding to move on to the coats. Coats afterall, usually had pockets.  
She pulled out garment after garment, scrutinising every inch of it. But to her great disappointment, she gained nothing from the search except a couple of dead moths that fell to the floor like feathers.

With a sigh Cassie put the last coat back on its hanger. This was it. The Rune Master would forever be a mystery, a legend and nothing more.  
With a disheartened expression on her features, she decided to head back downstairs. For all she knew Jane's dancing might have broken the entire kitchen by now. As she moved her left foot forward, there was a loud, metallic crash behind her. The terrible ruckus made her wince. With her eyes shut the somewhat frightened witch turned around, worried she might have broken something.  
Sure enough, the rack of clothes had collapsed. Cassie suddenly found herself standing in what felt like yards upon yards of fabric. An ocean of cloth in urgent need of washing.  
A new wave of dust had filled the air, making her sneeze as she bowed down to undo the mess. With great care she lifted the rack from the floor, using both of her arms aswell as a leg to prevent any garments from falling out on the way. She swore under her breath, making sure everything was in place.  
As she patted a fur jacket to the front, a new sound reached her ears. It sounded like paper landing on the ground. Instantly Cassie lowered her wand in order to find what she estimated was an old candy wrapper, or some other forgotten piece of rubbish.  
Her hands felt their way beneath the hems of the long dresses, coming in contact with nothing other than cold floorboards. The search led her deep within the jungle of attire as her fingers fumbled around to find whatever had fallen from the coat at the same time as they tried to avoid splinters.  
Finally, they came in touch with what felt like a crumpled piece of thick, almost cardboard like paper.

Her green eyes widened as they explored the discovery. It was an old photography, far from a wrinkled old candy wrapper.  
A man and a woman looked at her with bright smiles on their faces, something she found quite peculiar considering the age of the picture. They looked young, around her own age.  
The woman was sitting on a chair, a plain dress showing off some of her curvy figure. Her blonde hair had been plaited firmly and put up in an impeccable hairdo that complimented her soft facial features. Around her neck was a familiar silver necklace. The man stood next to her, one of his hands resting on her shoulder. His long, dark hair had been put up in a sloppy ponytail and a bushy beard covered his jawline. Despite being nothing more than a faded old photograph, the handsome couple seemed to radiate happiness.  
After staring at them for a while Cassie turned the picture in her hand, noticing something written on the back of it.  
It was barely readable, the blue ink almost invisible against the yellowed paper. The slanting handwriting didn't help either. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, determined to read the message from start to finish.

_My beloved Mary, _  
_I cannot stay. Someone has let slip of my location and I am therefore jeopardizing everything by lingering. Aurors of the Ministry will come knocking at your door, but you must promise me to protect the necklace. They will not hurt you, so do not be scared. Even if I never come back, you must trust in my words. Do not forget me, I beg of you, and tell Elisabeth that she is with me in my thoughts._

_I love you._

Below the short letter three runes had been drawn, none of which were familiar to her.  
Cassie slipped the photograph into her pocket, staring blankly at a button on the sleeve of one of the dresses. She somehow felt empty, but full of emotions at the same time. It was a strange feeling to say the least. The thought from before reappeared in her mind but now it didn't seem absurd at all. Neil Parker, her great great grandfather, an infamous thief.  
She suddenly huffed, a smile briefly crossing her face. 'What if-' Cassie began, but silenced herself after turning to look beside her.  
A stab of pain hit her as she stared at the three-legged bureau a few feet away. It felt as though her stomach was getting tugged at by an invisible hand. Twisting and folding it ruthlessly as the realization hit her. The person she for a split-second had thought was sitting there on the floor beside her, and the person she really wanted to tell about her discovery wasn't there, and he never would be.


	20. Chapter 19

**Christmas**

Light snowflakes swirled around in the cold winter wind. Cassie looked up at the dark, clouded sky above, her breath fogging up infront of her face. She watched it turn into small puffs as she let out train-like noises.  
In the dim, yellow light of the streetlamps, she watched her constantly changing shadow as she trailed through the inches of fresh snow covering the sidewalk. She looked over her shoulder, at the white house at the end of the street. Her brother Leo, a tall, brawny man clad in a pair of chequered flannel trousers and a red sweatshirt waved towards her, a wide smile spreading across his lips. Cassie instantly waved back, laughing as she watched him almost trip during his sprint down the driveway.  
He stopped by the mailbox, placing his hands on either side of his mouth.  
'Merry Christmas Cassie!' Leo yelled at the top of his lungs, his deep voice echoing across the street.  
'Merry Christmas brother!' she yelled back, applauding as he pointed at the ridiculous excuse for a snowman that they had built together a couple of days earlier.  
The small carrot they had used as its nose fell to the ground, further enhancing the aura of hopelessness around it.  
'We're artists, sis, true artists. Bob is the finest snowman ever built!' he chuckled.  
'He is indeed!' she concurred smirking.  
Leo took a step back, waving once more as she recommenced her walking. 'Until dad's birthday, then!'  
Cassie nodded. 'Until then!' she said cheerfully, watching him head back to the door before turning around.

Stubbornly, her cold fingers tried to keep her hair away from her face but it was of no use. The snowflakes grew larger, clinging to every inch of her clothing like glue. She blinked the melting snow from her eyes as her hand reached into her pocket and drew her wand. As she raised it, a blue light emerged from it before creating an invisible shield, protecting the upper half of her body. With a frown on her face she continued to strive forward, determined not the let the worsening weather get the better of her.  
The sudden, metallic rustle of the lid of a rubbish bin falling to the ground made her jerk. Wearily, she looked out on the web of shadows around her, wondering whether she should put away her wand in case it was a muggle.  
Then, a quiet meow made her relax. As the cat responsible for the noise materialized in the distance, Cassie heaved a sigh of relief. It stopped in its tracks, watching her intently. The unexpected action caused her to stop and look at it.  
Its fur was in a reddish shade of brown, and surprisingly shiny for the current conditions. It's piercingly blue eyes observed her with curiosity.  
Apprehensively, she took a step towards it as the urge to pet it became too great to resist. The cat let out another meow as she closed in, not moving as much as an inch.  
Just as Cassie reached out, she noticed something attached to its right front paw. It looked like some sort of note, but she wasn't certain. Lured in further by the new discovery, she instinctively tried to grab it, but the cat instantly moved.  
It began to walk in a slow pace. There was something strangely human-esque about how it moved, a certain sway to its graceful steps that reminded her of something, but she couldn't figure out what.  
Not having anything else in particular on her agenda, she decided to follow it after a short discussion with herself. Every once in a while, the cat glance back at her as if to make sure she was still following. Or it might just have thought she was odd, Cassie really couldn't tell.  
A young couple came walking towards them, but she hardly noticed. As soon as they had passed by, they began to whisper to one another. Probably something about her, but she didn't care at all. She continued to follow the peculiar animal through a maze of streets and alleys, largely oblivious to the world around them.

Suddenly the cat stopped, turning around to stare at her. It let out a loud meow as it momentarily looked to its left. The movement made Cassie look up. With a gasp of shock and amazement she realized where they were. Somehow, although she wasn't quite sure it was even possible, she found herself standing in Knockturn Alley. The golden light that had previously surrounded her, had been replaced with that icy shade of blue glow that only the streetlamps in Knockturn Alley could give away.  
With parted lips she searched her surroundings to try to determine where exactly she was standing. But no matter how many times she turned her head, she couldn't figure it out. The cat purred, brushing against her legs.  
'Why have you taking me here?' Cassie asked, completely baffled.  
She shook her head, for a split second wondering if she had lost her sanity as she realized who she was talking to. Her eyes narrowed upon looking into one of the shop window. Her gaze was fixed at one of the strange plants on display as she remembered that she had seen it before. Rapidly, she turned her head forward again, recognizing the corner a few feet ahead.  
The cat followed close behind as she began to walk. She inhaled deeply, wiping the melted snow from her face as she turned the corner. Upon noticing a familiar, macabre entrance at the very end of the street, an unpleasant jolt ran through her body. The Necromancer's Head. The sight halted her as if it put up an invisible wall, a boundary that was impossible to cross. The cat let out a slightly impatient meow, urging her to move. Hesitantly, she strode forward as an aching feeling hit her stomach like a punch. As she closed in, she noticed that some of the skulls around the door had been decorated with garlands and glitter. Somehow it didn't manage to change the first impression, in fact, it looked even more morbid.  
For what seemed like an eternity, Cassie stood infront of the entrance, debating whether or not to venture further.  
With an anxious expression on her cold, rosy cheeked face, she turned to look at the cat. 'Do you really think I should do it?' she stuttered nervously.  
It tilted its head slightly to the side, looking at her oddly. Suddenly it began to purr, once again brushing against her legs.  
The response didn't exactly lift her spirit. She let out a disheartened sigh. 'I don't even know why I'm talking to you. You're a bloody cat!'  
As if it had understood her, it hissed angrily, clawing at the calf of her right leg. 'Ouch, ouch!' Cassie said through gritted teeth as she tried to shake it off.  
Luckily, the cat stopped its massacre rather quickly. Gulping, she once again turned her attention towards the door. As she reached for the handle, the strange feline jumped onto a rickety barrel to her right before scurrying off.  
She raised an eyebrow, not quite sure if it really was a cat at all.

Deciding not to think anymore about the current situation, Cassie opened the door and entered the dingy pub. It immediately slammed shut as soon as she stepped inside.  
Unlike the last time she had been there, the narrow room was almost completely deserted part from a couple of hooded men playing cards over a corner table. Their jolly conversation died out as soon as they noticed her, eyeing her as though she was the scum of the earth.  
Ignoring them, she walked to the bar. Rufus was sitting by a radio, listening to what appeared to be a game of Quidditch with a look of deep concentration on his plump face.  
'Goodevening, Rufus.' Cassie said apprehensively, scratching the back of her head.  
He grunted as a response, not even bothering to look at her.  
'I'd like a Butterbeer.' she ordered with a low voice, not wanting to interrupt more than necessary.  
Rufus shot her an annoyed glare before pointing at his side of the counter.  
She blinked. 'Oh? I can-' choosing not to say anything more, she joined him behind the bar and helped herself to a glass of the beverage, leaving a galleon in the otherwise empty tip bowl.  
Cassie looked at the booth at the very end of the room, the booth were she and Scabior had sat all those months ago. Once again that uncomfortable feeling struck as she headed towards it. She cursed at her emotions, but no matter how badly she wanted them to disappear, they didn't. Perhaps it was the fact that it was Christmas that made her so sentimental and sombre. For it was afterall a time to spend with loved ones.  
Her eyes glanced at the empty seat opposite her.  
Upon sitting down, she took a sip of the Butterbeer before putting the glass on the table with an unintended slam. Rufus grunted at the noise.  
The empty seat affected Cassie more than she thought it would. It caused her emotions to stir. A part of her was begging her to stand up and leave, not wanting to have anything to do with the lump in her stomach that clawed at her insides. The other part was screaming at her to be brave and actually admit the cause behind the uncomfortable feelings. It felt as if her throat was swelling, her breath constantly getting stuck on its way in and out of her lungs.  
She sighed and stared at her cold fingers, tapping them gently against the wooden surface. What was she doing?

After a while, Cassie glanced at the clock on the wall. She had been there for half an hour and the Butterbeer had since long been gulped down. The sound of the door opening caught her attention, a group of visibly drunk witches and wizards walking in. Immediately her green eyes once again fixed themselves on her hands, watching them continue their drumming with a blank expression on her face. The image of the box and its intricate rune carvings suddenly appeared in her mind. Runes she couldn't decipher at all. A strong inkling told her that they were the key to solve the mystery.  
The figure of a man appeared in the corner of her eye but she didn't bother to look up. The stranger stopped a few feet away from her table. She could feel him staring at her, but decided to ignore it. The last thing she wanted was company.  
However, it seemed as though no matter how much she tried to pay no attention to him, the man didn't walk away. She let out a sigh, giving him a few more seconds to move. After those few seconds, Cassie still found it impossible to face the seemingly frozen stranger. She engaged in a short debate with herself, wondering if it was worth it. Deciding that he had gawked enough, she looked up.  
It felt as though a wave of electricity ran through her body as they locked eyes, staring at eachother as if made of solid stone. Scabior looked completely baffled, giving her a once-over with that confused expression he often wore.  
Cassie barely managed to breathe properly as she watched him take a step closer. She ignored the urge to rise from her seat and hug him, wondering whether it was some sort of joke. He was supposed to be in Azkaban, how could he-  
'Matilda managed to convince 'em.' he answered as if he had read her mind, sitting down on the opposite side of the table.  
Despite the fact that he had opened his mouth and spoken, she couldn't deem him more real than before. She waited for Rufus to appear with some sort of banderol saying: _Psyched_! Perhaps even a piñata popping up out of nowhere, confetti shooting through the air.  
It was clear that she wasn't very good at hiding her bewilderment as Scabior stared at her with an increasingly quizzical expression, as if wondering whether she had fainted with her eyes open.  
'But, how?' she finally managed to ask, struggling not to stammer.  
He leaned closer, lowering his voice significantly. 'She somehow talked 'em into using me as some sort of undercover agent.' he explained, almost whispering.

Scabior had never seen such a look on her face before. It was completely unreadable, no word fit to describe it. Eventhough they were no more than a table apart, he couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that she was actually there. He remembered their latest meeting, the same feeling hitting him as he continued to look into her green eyes. That brief eye-contact in the confusion after the hearing should have been the last time they saw eachother, yet somehow, there she was.  
It was as if time ran slower, rubbery, almost uncomfortably sluggish.  
Scabior looked down at her pale hands, watching her faintly trembling fingers intertwine. He was stricken with a desire to hold them.

As a loud laughter escaped the lips of one of the drunkards, Cassie turned her gaze to the empty glass beside her. She observed the leftover foam making its way down the dimly glistening surface of the glass as it disappeared bubble by bubble. She wondered what was going through his mind as she desperately tried to collect her own, broken thoughts. The witch was filled with a sudden urge to tell him about the Rune Master, but decided that it would have to wait at the moment.  
'I've missed you, Scabior.' she finally dared herself to admit, not taking her eyes off the froth's loosing battle for survival as she remembered her run down the corridor after the hearing.

Her warm words had trigged an icing sensation that now ran through his veins as he stared at her in disbelief. She'd missed him? The whole situation was almost affecting him too much to be bearable but at the same time, he didn't want move as much as an inch if it meant increasing the distance between them. He had afterall, missed her too.  
After a long silence consisting of discrete glances and puzzled facial expressions, Cassie opened her mouth to speak. 'So, when's your first mission?' she asked, daring to once again look at him.  
They locked eyes.  
Scabior felt himself drawn towards her, wishing the table wasn't there but at the same time, he made no effort to sit down beside her as he was too uncertain as to what her reaction would be.  
'Tomorrow.' he answered after a while, letting out a sigh as he thought about it.  
His answer was a lie. The mission had already begun, and she was interfering immensely. But he needed to sit there with her, he needed to drag out the time before their inevitable parting as long as possible. To enjoy her company and the calm it gave him for a little while longer.  
Scabior glanced over his shoulder at the group of witches and wizards sitting by the table near the entrance. Two of them were aurors, sent by the Ministry to make sure he didn't try anything. They were observing him with scrutinizing gazes, which he quickly noted were frequently cast at Cassie.  
'Really?' she almost gasped, sounding both saddened and intrigued at the same time.  
He nodded, leaning back as he flung his legs up on the empty seat next to him. 'Yeah, some bloke the Ministry's been 'aving a bit of trouble tracking down.' he said casually, hiding any traces of unwillingness.  
Their meeting would be over soon, a woman would walk in through the door to The Necromancer's Head. A woman he then would follow for the rest of the night. Cassie couldn't still be there when it happened.  
Rufus suddenly slammed his fists against the bar, something that might have been a smile spreading across his lips somewhere behind his bushy moustache. Scabior watched him intently, finding himself unable to look at the witch on the other side of the table. One of the aurors drew his wand, almost rising from his seat which triggered a sense of panic. The last thing Scabior wanted was to get her into trouble, and judging by the menacing look on the auror's face, it wasn't too far away.  
He cursed under his breath, reluctantly quelling his sudden urge to hit the man.  
'You need to go.' he mumbled, a part of him wishing she hadn't heard him.  
That however, was not the case. She blinked, obviously taken aback by the sudden harshness in his voice.  
'Why?' She questioned like the stubborn witch she was.  
'Just leave.' he said shortly, without looking as much as casting a glance in her direction.

The last bubble of foam popped, a small drop of Butterbeer running down the glass before finally reaching the bottom. Cassie looked at his hands. His right thumb was still wearing the silver ring. Just like last time, it glistened faintly in the golden light of the lamps as he moved his fingers.  
Suddenly they stopped, his hands flat against the surface of the table, causing her to look up at his face to find out why. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression, almost hostile. She cleared her throat to snap out of whatever daze she suddenly felt like she was in.  
'Well, I guess I'll be going then.'  
Fixating her gaze on her black winter coat, she took it on, tying the belt tightly around her waist.  
He watched her in silence, noticing her jaw clench slightly as she rose from her seat. They locked eyes once again just as she was about to head for the exit.  
'Merry Christmas.' Cassie said, the corners of her mouth for a split-second forming a barely visible smile before she looked away.  
Scabior scarcely blinked, his eyes following her every move, noting every detail.  
'Merry Christmas.' he responded mumbling, almost sounding bored.  
With that, she tugged at the collar of her coat, took on her red mittens and walked towards the exit, an uncomfortable feeling making its presence known within her gut. She glanced back at the booth, for a moment considering turning around. But judging by what had just transpired, that wasn't an option.

Scabior heard the door to The Necromancer's Head open, the sound of the whistling of the cold winter winds making a split-second visit before the door once again closed. He stared blankly at the empty seat on the opposite side of the table, wondering how far away she had walked, how much of a distance was between them at the moment. . Scabior's gaze remained fixed on the empty seat for what seemed like an eternity. The door opened again, the woman he was supposed to shadow sitting down on one of the rickety barstools but he didn't care at all. He didn't care about the mission, or the aurors or his new career as an undercover agent.  
The woman ordered whiskey as Scabior stood up and walked towards the exit with hurried steps. The two aurors watched him attentively, returning their attention to their company upon noticing his signal for them to stay put.  
He walked out of the pub, met by strong headwinds and a heavy snowfall and an empty street. Scabior's breath fogged up infront of his face as he scanned his surrounding after any traces of Cassie but nothing met his grey eyes besides the silvery glow of the streetlamps.


	21. Chapter 20

**Unexpected names and delicious pastry****.**

Two days later, Cassie stepped into one of the lifts in the Ministry of Magic. The grilles began to close, creating a barrier between her and the grand atrium. Just as she looked down at the clock around her wrist, a rustling noise reached her ears.  
She jerked, startled by the ruckus that had apparently been caused by a young man that managed to squeeze in through the small gap left between the grilles and the wall. With a sudden, yet expected yank, the lift began to move. Her fellow passenger's dark hair looked messy, creating a contrast to his otherwise very professional and tidy appearance. His vibrant, green eyes glanced at her behind his round glasses as he cleared his throat. He seemed to be somewhat anxious.  
'Goodmorning.' Cassie said casually, smiling politely.  
'Morning.' the man responded immediately, looking a little shocked of her sudden greeting.  
There was something familiar about him, as if she had seen him before. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't come up with a name.  
Eventually the lift stopped, an almost annoyingly programmed female voice addressing them. 'Department of magical law enforcement and crime fighting.' it informed before the grilles withdrew to let them out.  
Cassie stepped forward at the same second as the young man, causing them to bump into eachother.  
'Sorry.' he apologised with a nervous chuckle as they locked eyes.  
'Oh, it's nothing.' she said warmly, gesturing him to go first.  
The young man gave a swift nod and headed left, disappearing into the buzzing crowd. She on the other hand went straight to the right, walking down a familiar narrow corridor that eventually led her to a familiar black door.

She took a deep breath, slowly raising her hand to knock on its hard surface. A few seconds later, it opened soundlessly.  
'Benedict, have I not already made clear you need not knock?' A familiar voice mumbled behind a rather flamboyant leather armchair standing behind a large wooden desk.  
Cassie hesitated momentarily before crossing the threshold, wondering whether she had arrived at a bad timing. Afterall, it was the High Secretary of the Wizengamot she was visiting. Such an important Ministry official was bound to have quite a full schedule. But it wasn't just that aspect that made her somewhat reluctant. She hadn't seen the woman since Scabior's hearing, and their last talk hadn't been the friendliest of conversations. However, the release of the former snatcher had softened her view of the secretary. Perhaps the indifference displayed after that morning at St. Mungo's had only been caused by the hospital environment.  
'Actually, it's not Benedict.' Cassie said with a faint chuckle as she stepped forward.  
Immediately the armchair spun around, revealing a auburn-haired woman wearing a tight-fitted long-sleeved dress in a clear shade of green and a hefty amount of jewellery.  
'Miss Parker?' Matilda called out, obviously surprised by the visit. 'What on earth are you doing here?'  
'I was wondering if I could talk to you.' Cassie answered with some uncertainty in her voice.  
A puzzled expression crossed her face as she noticed a large egg laying amidst the fire that burnt in the fireplace.  
Matilda gestured her to sit down. 'Why, of course!' she answered as the door to her office closed itself.  
A coat hanger appeared out of nowhere, eagerly galloping towards the guest. Cassie stared at it with wide eyes as it tapped one of its legs against the black floor tiles impatiently.  
'Oh.' the witch gasped, realizing what it wanted.  
Hastily she removed her winter coat, handing it to the coat hanger, which immediately darted off upon receiving it.  
Matilda glanced at it, smiling fondly as her visitor sat down on the lone chair on the opposite side of her desk. 'I call it Arnold.' she said proudly, almost chirping.  
'I must say I did not exactly expect to see you again, Miss Parker.'  
Cassie turned her attention towards the secretary again. 'Please, call me Cassie.' she said, not particularly fancying the combination of the honorific and her surname as it made her feel like an old spinster.  
Silence fell over them, the faintly crackling fire being the only sound  
'Listen I, I want to apologize for my behaviour towards you at the hospital.' Matilda suddenly uttered, sounding unusually grave and sombre.  
The unexpected apology caused Cassie to blink.  
'I was acting quite indifferent and it was not polite.' the secretary continued. 'But I am a sore looser, and that bastard Peter Fletcher had really gotten on my nerves.'  
'It's fine.' Cassie responded shortly, feeling a sudden gush of appreciation for the elegant woman.  
'What brought you here?' Matilda asked curiously, leaning forward.

'I wanted to talk about the necklace that Eugene Abbott took from me during the hearing, and the man who stole it. The Rune Master.' Cassie explained, encouraged by the merry tone in the secretary's voice.  
Matilda remained quiet, waiting for her to continue.  
'Do you, know anything about him or the things he stole?'  
'To be honest, no.' Matilda answered with a sigh, leaning back before snapping her fingers.  
Instantly, a tray of deliciouslooking confections flew into the office from a small opening on the door that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  
It landed gracefully between them, shortly followed by two cups and a gilded teakettle.  
'This kind of conversation calls for a treat does it not?' the secretary hummed merrily as the kettle began to pour hot tea into the cups on its own before placing itself beside the tray.  
'As I was saying,' she continued, munching on a pastry coated with powered sugar and syrup. 'I am afraid that I do not know more about the mysterious thief than the common witch or wizard. The Minister for Magic during the time of the Rune Master's career, was a very secretive man. And what information he may have possessed regarding the infamous burglar, died with him and his undersecretary.'  
Cassie took a deep breath, feeling disheartened. If Matilda Hopkins didn't know anything more about the man, nobody did. Atleast nobody that was alive.  
She helped herself to a chocolate cupcake, taking a sip of her tea as her gaze traced the pattern on a colourful binder.  
'Why the sudden interest in the man?' Matilda asked between her chews. 'I do believe that the chance of getting that necklace back is rather slim.'  
With that, Cassie proceeded to tell her everything that Jane had told her about the box, the photograph and the short message written on the back of it.  
Matilda seemed to absorb the story like a sponge, taking in every little detail with an almost childlike enthusiasm. Upon getting to see the old picture for herself, she examined it carefully, not an inch of it ignored by her blue eyes.  
'Personally, I believe that the reason behind the fact that the Ministry has never initiated any investigations, is because they are too proud to admit that such a mishap on their half has ever occurred.' she muttered as she read the message over and over again. 'But it is very curious that your great great grandmother, as a muggle, had any knowledge what so ever about the magical world. And surely, had her husband possessed any magical abilities, their child ought to have inherited them.'  
'I know.' Cassie concurred, Matilda's eagerness rubbing off on her.  
'The only logical explanation is that this Neil Parker, really was the Rune Master. But that does not explain how nobody between his generation and you, in your family, has had magical abilities.' the secretary continued pensively, squinting as she looked at the large egg in the fireplace.

'Is that what I think it is?' Cassie asked, turning her head towards it aswell as she tried to get some rests of the cupcake away from her gums with her tongue.  
Matilda nodded eventhough they didn't look at eachother, watching the flames caress it. 'A Ukrainian Ironbelly, no less.' she paused, reaching for another pastry. 'Vladimir down at magical creatures gave it to me, he will pick it up a few days after it has hatched. I think he rather fancies me.' she mused, licking some icing off of her top lip. 'I've named it Gandalf, does not really matter if it is a male or a female, since most witches and wizards do not know who Gandalf is.'  
Cassie glanced at the secretary, wondering if she had misheard her. 'As in the Gandalf?' she asked incredulously.  
Another nod. 'It was not just my dislike for the Ministry's new policy that forced me to run during the war. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that Muggle literature scares some of us. Or Muggles at all, for that matter.' Matilda said as they continued to observe the egg.  
Her left index finger tapped her chin as she eyed Cassie with a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.  
'What?' Cassie asked before wiping her mouth with a napkin.  
'Brilliant!' Matilda suddenly exclaimed joyously, slamming her fist against the desk with a surprisingly loud bang. 'You know, sometimes I amaze myself with my own imagination. Completely brilliant, why have I not come to think of it sooner?'  
'Think of what?' Cassie inquired, a spark of hope igniting in her chest.  
Matilda leaned closer, lowering her voice to the point it was barely audible. 'But I warn you, it involves breaking the law. And in some sense, breaking into the Ministry.'  
Cassie quelled a shocked gasp, suddenly regretting asking the secretary for help.


	22. Chapter 21

**Memorable moments**

The department of mysteries certainly lived up to its name. Everywhere there were strange doors, leading to everything from empty broom cupboards to hideous beasts, courtrooms and strange objects. To think this was the place they were to spend New Year's Eve.  
'I think it is this one.' Matilda whispered excitedly, reaching for a silvery doorknob.  
'You sure?' Alice questioned, constantly looking around.  
Her heart felt as though it was about to jump straight out of her body and run to safety. She didn't blame it, as she yearned to do the same. Whatever the secretary thought they would find once they entered what was behind that door, was not worth the risk of getting sent to Azkaban for life.  
Matilda rolled her eyes. 'Of course I am sure. I am the High Secretary of the Wizengamot, afterall. I am bound to know my way around the Ministry.' she muttered, somewhat annoyed at her accomplice's lack of confidence in her.  
Silently the door swung open, revealing nothing but impenetrable darkness.  
Their eyes narrowed in an attempt to get some sort of notion as to what was inside.  
Suddenly, there was a sliding noise that sent shivers of revulsion down Cassie's spine. It sounded like a heavy lump of slime getting dragged across the floor. She frowned as it became louder.  
'What is that?' Matilda asked under her breath, tightening the grip around her wand.  
The question caused Cassie to turn her head towards the secretary, raising an eyebrow.  
'Really?' she groaned. 'I thought you said you knew where we were going!'  
Then, just as she returned her attention to whatever was moving around in the darkness, what looked like an arm covered in purple goo slithered out of the shadows.  
'BLOODY HELL, WHAT IS THAT?' Matilda suddenly yelled as the two women embraced eachother in pure fright. 'Close the door, close the door!'  
As a head began materializing in the darkness, Cassie slammed the door right in the creature's face. Panting heavily, they looked at eachother with wide eyes.  
'What the hell is wrong with this Ministry?' Cassie asked with a broken voice.  
Matilda simply stared at her, completely shocked by what had just transpired. 'Let us move on.' she whispered frailly after a long silence.

After all the ruckus they had caused, Cassie was sure there would come guards running towards them any second. She raised her wand, ready to defend herself for the inevitable attack, but nobody came. It was as if the entire department had been forgotten. She shot Matilda a weary glance, wondering what she had done in order to enable their little expedition.  
The secretary eventually halted infront of yet another black door that looked no different from the last twenty they had passed. By now, it felt like they had been walking for hours.  
'This is it, I am sure of it.' she said confidently, locking eyes with the terrified witch standing next to her, a stern expression on her stunning features. 'Are you ready?'  
Cassie gave a swift nod, just wanting to get the whole operation overwith. Who knew what horrid creature would come crawling at them now?  
Seemingly thinking the same thing, Matilda immediately turned towards the handle, pushing it down with surprising calmness.  
A dim, silvery glow shone upon their faces as the door slowly opened.

To Cassie's relief there came no gruesome hands, or terrifying sounds. Instead, they stepped into what might possibly be one of the most alluring, intriguing and quite frankly, beautiful rooms that she had ever laid her eyes on. It was completely round, tall cabinets made of glass covering every inch of its walls. Inside of them stood what seemed like an infinite amount of bottles and flasks in various shapes, sizes and colours. The floor, much like the rest of the Ministry, was covered with those perfectly polished black tiles, as was the ceiling. Eventhough there were just the two of them, it still felt as though they were not supposed to be there. Of course, they probably weren't but it seemed as if even the Minister of Magic wasn't allowed in the mysterious room. It almost felt sacred.  
In the very middle of the room, floated a large bowl made out of some kind of metal. It was not deeper than a couple of inches, filled with a clear liquid that she presumed was water. Whatever metal it was made of, had been made incredibly thin and emitted a blue gleam in the light of the lanterns floating above. It looked incredibly fragile, as if the mere touch of a feather could break it in a thousand pieces.  
The door closed behind them, but neither of them noticed. Slowly, Cassie gained enough courage to step closer. Her green eyes never looked away from the still water as she closed in, she almost forgot to breathe.  
'Wicked.' she whispered smiling.  
Matilda, seemingly impervious to the overwhelming beauty and mysteriousness of the room, opened one of the cabinets.  
'Where are they?' she mumbled ponderingly to herself, taking out her wand.  
Cassie on the other hand, remained silent, staring into the bowl as if mesmerized. She wanted to touch the surface of the water, just to know for sure that it was really there. However, her hands remained hanging limply by the sides of her body, incapable of moving.

A few moments later, Matilda finally found what she was looking for. With the help of her wand she steered a couple of flasks through the air and carefully placed them on a previously unnoticed shelf. Then, she picked one of them and watched it gracefully float towards them.  
'What is this place?' Cassie asked, looking at the small, brown bottle hovering in the air between them. It had been labelled 'A.B.T. 1'.  
'This,' Matilda began, briefly gazing up towards the lanterns. 'Is the only unnamed room at the Ministry of Magic.' she explained, looking towards the door before once again making eye-contact with the witch infront of her. 'And that bowl, is a pensieve.'  
'A what?'  
'A pensieve.' the secretary repeated calmly. 'In it, one pours a desired memory and relives it as an invisible bystander. That is what has been stored within each one of these flasks. Memories of great importance belonging to different Ministers of Magic. All of them have atleast one memory in this room. Some however, belong to other important Ministry officials. Some belong to aurors and secretaries who have witnessed scenes to be preserved in case the subject ever becomes relevant again. Even I have had the privilege of filling a few. If you were wondering, they are the three jewelled flasks in the cabinet by the door.' she explained proudly, smirking knowingly. 'Within the walls of this room, each one of the Ministry's secrets have been locked away.'  
Cassie stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say. 'But shouldn't an alarm go off or something? Why wasn't the door locked?'  
'Oh, it was locked alright.' Matilda said slyly. 'But being High Secretary of the Wizengamot comes with a few perks.' the brown bottle floated a little higher at the flick of her wand.  
'This particular bottle belonged to the man who was Minister during the height of the Rune Master's career. It contains the memory of a hearing. The hearing of a certain, A.B.T.'  
'But how do you know it's the right one?' Cassie questioned, wondering whether the secretary had known all along.  
'Because the cabinet told me so. I simply thought of what I wanted, and the cabinet fetched it for me. Quite handy if you ask me.' Matilda explained mundanely, obviously not a stranger to the procedure. 'And in case you were wondering, the number 1 always stands for hearing. Now, here is what will happen. I will open the flask and pour its content into the pensieve, then you will simply dive your head into the liquid and find out all you need to know.' she explained beaming. However, do not, under any circumstances touch the flask.' the secretary added quickly, with a unusually grave tone in her voice.

'But what about you?' Cassie immediately asked, not wanting to delve into someone else's memory alone.  
Matilda chuckled. 'Do not worry, I will be waiting here.' she said reassuringly, patting her on the back.  
'Can the memory be seen by more than one person at the time?'  
As if it was listening to their conversation, the bowl expanded.  
'Yes it can.' the secretary informed casually.  
A look of determination crossed Cassie's freckled face as she looked into her blue eyes. 'Then I want you to come with me.' she said stubbornly.  
Matilda blinked, clearly not expecting such an uttering. 'Wh-what?' she stammered, sounding incredibly uncertain.  
A strong notion hit Cassie as she observed the woman's flabbergasted facial expression. It suddenly occurred to her that her words were probably not ones that the High Secretary of the Wizengamot heard every day. That someone wanted her to come along, not because of work or for influence but because they genuinely wanted her company. 'I want you to come with me.' she repeated.  
'Are- are you sure? What for? I mean, it is not like we can interact with them.' Matilda asked, still completely baffled.  
Cassie took a hold of her hand, something that further confused the secretary. 'What else are friends for?' she asked warmly.  
It seemed for a second as though Matilda had been struck by lightning, or hit by a stunning-spell. Then, gradually, a smile spread across her painted lips. A smile different from the ones she had given her before. A smile that felt more sincere, but above all, filled with gratitude.  
'Together, then.' Cassie nodded before they turned their attention towards the pensieve.  
Matilda used her free hand to raise her wand, the flask immediately pouring its content into the bowl. Upon contact, the faintly glowing liquid became black, spreading throughout the clear fluid of the pensieve like ink. 'Now.' she said gravely.

* * *

They suddenly landed on one of the topmost stand in what looked like a Ministry of Magic courtroom. Grand torches along the walls lit up the entire room with a fiery, golden glow. It gave a more inviting and relaxing atmosphere to the cramped space, which was well needed. The interior didn't have the slightest resemblance to that of the courtroom they had used for Scabior's hearing. It looked much more robust and somewhat shabby with its lack of free space and its old, wooden stands. Tall stacks of parchments filled some sections of the balustrades aswell as the entire floor besides the spot in the middle, where a lone chair was standing. On it sat a man with long, unkempt, blond hair. Like the rest of him, it seemed to have gone without a good wash for years, clinging to his oval face in greasy chunks. His sickly pale skin looked grey beneath its thick layer of dirt and soot. That along with a severely malnourished body and a scruffy beard, made the man look significantly older than he probably was. And somewhat deranged.  
Heavy chains wrapped tightly around his thin wrists and ankles, preventing him from escaping. His small, grey eyes looked around at his observers frantically, his body fidgeting constantly.  
Cassie was hit with a stab of pity and anger at the repugnant sight, wondering what he had done to deserve such inhumane cruelty.  
'B-but I- I don't know!' he yelped with a broken voice, looking down at his shaking hands.  
'Alistair, it is not wise to lie infront of the Wizengamot.' a dark, male voice spoke.  
She immediately turned her head towards whoever had responded, fixing her gaze on a handsome, dark-skinned man sitting behind a rostrum.  
His black beard had been plaited neatly, beads in different colours and materials sticking out here and there. There was a certain aura of authority and royalty around him. His hazel eyes looked warmly at the terrified witness, much unlike the rest of the witches and wizards of the Wizengamot who all glared down at him with disgust and nonchalance.  
Alistair refused to make eye-contact, muttering something unhearable under his breath.

A young woman moved around anxiously in her seat, catching everybody's attention by clearing her throat in an annoyingly girlish way.  
'Dakarai, how long will you allow this kind of behaviour to continue?' she asked with an agitated, eager tone in her light voice as she looked at the dark-skinned man.  
'Mr Thomas will answer at his own pace, Miss Hollyfrost.' he responded calmly, not at all affected by her temper.  
'Perhaps the dementors ought to loosen his tongue.' Miss Hollyfrost immediately spat, glaring at him ferociously.  
She had barely finished the sentence before Alistair looked up at her, an expression of horror crossing his face. 'No! No, no please!' he cried, tears streaming down his scarred cheeks. 'Please have mercy, I beg of you!'  
Dakarai raised a firm hand, silencing him immediately. 'Calm down, Alistair.' he said serenely before turning his attention to the sadistic woman. 'We do not fall back on such barbaric and medieval methods of questioning during my hearings, Miss Hollyfrost. If you interrupt with such immature suggestions again, the guards will escort you from this courtroom.'  
The woman's cheek turned bright red from the embarrassment, but her eyes flickered with anger, clearly offended by this unexpected warning.

'Alistair,' Dakarai continued, once again locking eyes with the blond-haired man. 'Remember that if you were to tell us any useful information, the Wizengamot is willing to discuss your release.' he reminded him, smiling faintly.  
There was a short moment of silence as he unhurriedly took a sip of the glass of water next to him. 'Now, I will ask you again. Do you know the whereabouts of any of the artefacts the Rune Master has stolen?'  
Alistair blinked, still trembling at the sound of his voice. 'I told you, Mr undersecretary, I- I don't know. It's the truth, I swear!' he answered anxiously, as if expecting torture.  
All of the sudden, Dakarai drew his wand and flicked it. A patronus in form of a majestic eagle soared through the room, landing gracefully on the top of the chair. Its presence seemed to calm Alistair down immensely, his body finally ceasing to fidget.  
'Alright, let us move on. Why has he stolen them?' the undersecretary asked casually, ignoring the looks of shock and contempt from many of his colleagues.  
Alistair swallowed, as if trying to regain his voice. 'He doesn't want them for their value, or because of their owners. He steals them as a protest against the Ministry of Magic.'  
A wave of horrified gasps and eager whispers ran through the crowd. Cassie and Matilda looked at eachother in silence for a few seconds before returning their attention to the memory.  
The only one who didn't seem at all startled or aghast by the information was Dakarai, who simply took on a pair of half-moon spectacles and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment, his patronus scratching its left wing with its beak calmly.  
'And, do you know what the reason is for this protest?' he mumbled, seemingly rereading what he had written before looking up again.  
'He's a squib!' Alistair yelled hysterically, causing another round of speculating murmurs. 'He does it because he wants to prove to you that people like him, and all other outsiders, are a part of the magical society too. Equal to any witch or wizard!'

Cassie momentarily froze, suddenly feeling sympathetic for the Rune Master at the same time as she wondered how he had managed to do it. A squib successfully breaking into Gringotts?  
'I see.' Dakarai hummed pensively, once again writing something on the parchment.  
'But that is absolutely ridiculous!' an elderly man sitting on the lowest stand suddenly interjected loudly. 'You cannot honestly take him seriously. The man is obviously lying. The odds of a squib actually managing to successfully break into Gringotts are insignificantly small. Let alone five times!'  
'I'm not lying!' Alistair bellowed ominously.  
The eagle let out an annoyed shriek, ending the bickering instantly.  
Dakarai looked out on his colleagues. 'Let us be civil.' he said quietly, his deep voice almost hypnotically calm.  
'And, the Rune Master himself, do you know any personal information about the man? Other known associates, perhaps?' he asked with a hint of a satisfied smirk playing on his full lips.  
Alistair let out a humourless chuckle that sent an uncomfortable, icing jolt through Cassie's body. 'His name,' he began with a low voice.  
Everyone in the courtroom except Dakarai leaned forward in anticipation, holding their breaths as they watched the man in the chair without blinking.  
'is Neil Parker.'  
Some of the members if the Wizengamot almost rose from their seats as they gasped, whilst others immediately engaged in hushed conversations. Cassie however stared blankly out into nothingness, feeling completely empty as if all her capability of feeling had been washed away by an invisible wave of electricity.  
She turned to look at her accomplice, thankful that she wasn't witnessing it all on her own.  
'Your great great grandfather.' Matilda whispered, her blue eyes widened.  
Cassie didn't have time to respond before Alistair spoke again.  
'He's been staying with some Muggle called Mary, using her flat as a safe house. I don't even think she knows he's been there.' he said eagerly, probably expecting immediate release.  
Dakarai stroke his plaited beard, looking down at the ecstatic man with narrowed eyes  
as if deep in thought. 'I hereby declare this hearing to have come to its end. Please escort Mr Thomas back to Azkaban, and make sure to atleast give him a proper meal.' he ordered, seemingly not at all concerned by the new information.  
Two guards immediately stepped up to the chair, the chains disappearing into thin air as they harshly grabbed the once again terrified Alistair by his thin arms. The patronus flapped its great wings, flying back to its caster elegantly before quickly fading away at the flick of Dakarai's wand.

Cassie took a deep breath, once again finding herself standing by the pensieve.  
'Merlin's beard!' Matilda exclaimed in a mixture of shock and excitement as they faced eachother. 'Your great great grandfather, a squib, The Rune Master. No wonder there has not been any further investigations. The Ministry would never want the public to know that a squib was able to break into Gringotts. And not only once, but five times!'  
The liquid memory seeped back into the brown flask before joining the others that were standing on the shelf. Cassie blinked, lost for words. Neil Parker, the Rune Master.

'What do we do now?' she asked after a long silence, trying to sort out her conflicting thoughts and emotions.  
Matilda waved her wand, sending the group of flasks back to their place inside of the cabinet. 'Well it is obvious is it not?' she asked, gazing up at the glowing lanterns.  
'We find out what those runes on the box mean. Now that we know for sure who your ancestor really was.'  
'But how?' Cassie questioned, suddenly feeling as though everything was impossible.  
The secretary chuckled. 'Because of my position at the Ministry, I have unrestricted to virtually any book in that the Ministry can get its hands on. And I must admit that I have quite the collection myself. We are bound to find something worth while.' she explained joyously as they headed for the door. 'We can use my flat as a base.'  
'Oh, look at the time!' Matilda gasped, looking at the golden watch around her wrist.  
It was a minute past midnight.  
'Happy New Year.' she said as she gave Cassie a warm hug.  
Cassie blinked, slightly surprised by the unexpected gesture. 'Happy New Year.' she mumbled lowly, staring at one of the black floor tiles as she unwillingly wondered what Scabior was doing.

* * *

Author's note: I have no idea whether or not such a room exists within the Ministry, but I definitly think that it should! I also contemplated on dividing this chapter into two, but decided not to. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! :D


	23. Chapter 22

**Breakfast breakthroughs**

Cassie was sitting on a fluffy white carpet infront of a red, rococo couch in a livingroom that looked like it had been taken straight out of an add for a five star hotel. Then again, she had expected no less from Matilda.  
The High Secretary's impeccable sense of style permeated every inch of her luxurious flat. Bright rays of sunlight shone in through the grand windows reaching from floor to ceiling. Behind them was a spacious balcony overlooking London, the thin layer of snow on its brass railing glittering in the bright light. It had been precisely one week since the department of mystery expedition, and today was the first sunny day since. A welcome change in weather, to say the least.  
She wiggled her toes, feeling the fake fur of the carpet between them. Ember glowed softly in the fireplace, giving the room a pleasant warmth. Her green eyes looked down at the thick book in her lap. The witch let out a sigh as she once again skimmed through the text on page 493, wondering why on earth she was still reading it after two days of failed attempts of understanding the gibberish. Whatever language it was written in, was determined it seemed, to continue refusing to let her understand it.  
Matilda had upon handing her the annoying book, stated that the language in it changed if the book deemed whoever read it, worthy of understanding.  
Not only did the nonsense not change into comprehensible words, but at soon as she had tried to open the book the first time, it had actually screamed at her. Something that had led her to believe that it was because of the fact that she hadn't been a Ravenclaw, since it had mentioned how disappointed Rowena would be, if she was to know what kind of atrocious witch had attempted to read it. Cassie frowned as she stared at one of the so-called "letters". The nerve.

'Good morning!' a sultry female voice chirped somewhere behind her.  
She turned around, watching Matilda waltz into the room with a beaming smile on her face, carrying a silver tray with various breakfast components on it. Her silk, scarlet nightgown almost touched the floor, occasionally revealing glimpses of perfect pedicured toes. As she sat down beside her, legs in lotus position, Cassie looked down at her own attire. She tugged at the old, over-sized t-shirt covering her chest that had previously belonged to her father. The once bright shade of orange had overtime faded into some sort of washed-out shade of greyish peach. Comparing it to Matilda's stylish sleepwear, felt like a giant slap across the fashion part of her brain, wherever it was hiding. Eventhough she would never become fashion-forward, she would certainly have to invest in some new clothing.  
'Any luck with the book?' Matilda asked, smearing butter on a slice of toasted bread.  
Cassie shook her head absentmindedly, still ogling her t-shirt. 'It hates me with a passion.' she mumbled quietly, helping herself to a glass of juice. 'However, the feeling's mutual.'  
As soon as the words had left her mouth, the language on the open page changed into English. Her jaw dropped, the glass of juice almost slipping out of her hand.  
Matilda let out a laugh, moving on to the raspberry marmalade. 'I disagree. It just has a tendency to tease people who have a relentless tenacity.' she said, glancing at it before taking the first bite of her toast.  
'Oh, right!' the secretary suddenly exclaimed after a while of quiet munching and slurping.

She took out her wand that had previously held her provisional hairdo together.  
After a swift wave towards the hallway, a stack of books in different sizes and colours hovered towards them. With dull thuds they landed on the white carpet.  
'I had Benedict send these to me earlier this morning.' she explained as she reached for another slice of toast. 'I thought they might come in handy if we ever were to begin investigating how on earth your great great grandfather managed to break into Gringotts five times. '  
Cassie rummaged through the heap, eventually taking up a copy of _Goblins - known allies and enemies_. It looked worn and shabby, some of the pages almost falling out as she opened it.  
Matilda stuffed the rest of her toast into her mouth at once. 'By the way, in 'ashe oo a inresseb, I 'ab anageb o iure ou wha' the woones on the boch mean.' she said as she chewed, not making any sense whatsoever.  
'You're going to have to repeat that.' Cassie mumbled, momentarily pausing in her reading.  
The secretary gulped, wincing slightly as the lump of bread slowly made its way down her throat. 'I said,' she began, holding a hand against her chest. 'In case you are interested, I have finally managed to figure out what the runes on the box mean.'  
At this, Cassie frowned, slapping Matilda across the top of her head with the book.  
Matilda grimaced, rubbing the spot where it had hit. 'Ouch!'  
'Why didn't you tell me?' Cassie asked fumingly, annoyed over the fact that she might have endured the taunting of the language-changing book about ancient runes completely unnecessarily.  
A grave expression crossed the secretary's face as if the question had been completely uncalled for. 'Cassie, there simply is no way one can plot over runes on an empty stomach.' she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'You need to rearrange your priorities.'

'Well, what did you find out?' Cassie asked eagerly, putting away the copy of _Goblins - known allies and enemies_ for the moment.  
'The runes are actually a message, instructions.' the secretary began to explain, now nibbling on a piece of chocolate. 'There are some that I am not entirely sure about, but I have atleast made a rough translation. One thing is for sure, Neil Parker really knew his runes.' she mumbled pensively.  
'Instructions for what?'  
A dove landed on the railing of the balcony before jumping down onto the floor. Tenaciously it pecked the ground in search of anything edible, but found nothing but dead leaves. Realizing that the location would mean nothing other than fruitless labour, it decided to move on, violently flapping its wings at it took off.  
'They seem to form some kind of guide to the current whereabouts of all the items he ever stole, but I have no idea as to why he would reveal such a thing.' Matilda continued with a low voice, deep in thought. 'If he has tried so hard to conceal every trace of his existence and obviously stole the objects to taunt the Ministry, then why would he ever want anybody to find them?'  
Cassie shook her head, heaving a sigh. 'I have no idea, seems kind of counterproductive.'  
After a long period of silence and continued eating, she straightened up looking as though she had come up with a brilliant idea. 'Perhaps he left them for Mary!' the witch suggested, slicing a grapefruit.  
Matilda nodded in enthusiastic agreement. 'That is very plausible, indeed. But then again, could he not had left them all with her when he left?' she questioned musingly.  
Cassie squinted as she concentrated on her thoughts. 'He could have, but wouldn't that have been extremely risky? I mean, he knew that the Ministry would pay her a visit or two.'  
'Yes, I suppose you are right.' the secretary concurred as she scratched her arm. 'But for whatever reason he left directions, he most certainly did not spare any expenses when it came to choosing locations.'  
'What do you mean?' Cassie asked curiously as they locked eyes.  
Matilda helped herself to another piece of chocolate. 'Well,' she began, taking a bite. 'One of them is in northern Tibet, I Believe, another should reside somewhere in the rainforests of Cameroon, then there is one in an Incan ruin in Peru. And one can be found in Siberia. On the positive side however, he did leave one close to home. But unfortunately that was the necklace.'  
Another silence followed as millions of questions raced through their minds.  
Why had he gone through so much trouble to hide them? Why all across the face of the earth, and why had he left the locations on the box? Unfortunately, there was no way of learning the answers unless Mr Parker himself decided to pay them a visit.

'Well then, let us not waste our youth here!' Matilda suddenly said as she stood up, sounding surprisingly upbeat and carefree.  
'It's not like we're actually going after them.' Cassie mumbled, having resumed reading random pages of the book about the allies and enemies of Goblins.  
A beaming smile spread across the secretary's lips as she puffed her chest, put a leg up on the couch and rested her hands against her hips.  
'Fear not my reading friend!' she said with a much more masculine voice than normal, looking out into the distance. 'For I shall see to it that we do!'  
The theatrical pose along with Matilda's expression and the tone in her voice, made Cassie for a split-second feel as though a pompous fanfare would suddenly fill the air. She found herself unable to respond with anything other than some sort of mixture between a grunt and a huff.  
Hearing no clear objection, Matilda carried on, jumping onto the couch as a safari hat came out of nowhere and landed on her head at the flick of her wand. 'Pack your bags, we are going on quite the adventure!' she said, grinning widely.


	24. Chapter 23

**An inevitable confrontation**

Cassie huffed, trying to balance the tall stack of parchments in her arms whilst simultaneously attempting to keep the door to Matilda's office open with her foot.  
There was a clatter of brisk footsteps somewhere behind her before a familiar voice interrupted her concentration. 'May I assist you, Miss Parker?'  
'Thanks Benedict.' she huffed as the door flung open, hurrying into the room.  
With a loud thud, the pile of parchments landed on the wooden desk. Cassie shook her tired arms, feeling as though an entire mountain had been lifted off of her shoulders. She looked at the stack with a smile on her face, feeling quite proud of the fact that she had managed to carry the heavy peril all the way from the Ministry of Magic's research committee.  
Benedict walked to her side, eyeing the humongous heap suspiciously. 'Do you.. require any further aid?'  
Cassie shook her head faintly. 'No, it's alright. I think I can manage on my own.' she said pensively as she sat down by the desk.  
He closed his eyes momentarily, giving a curt nod before straightening his glasses. 'Very well, I shall leave you to it then.'  
With that, he headed for the door with that signature quick-paced walk.

As soon as it closed behind him, Cassie took the parchment resting on the top of the stack and began to read it. The second her green eyes fixed themselves on the first word, an expression of confusion crossed her freckled face. Immediately she put the parchment back on the desk and reached for another one.  
After searching through the entire pile, the witch gave up and her right palm hit her forehead with a loud smack. Quelling the urge to laugh, she rubbed her face.  
'Of course they all have to be in some ancient bloody language.' she exclaimed with a humourless chuckle, staring at the parchments now laying scattered all over the floor.  
Scabior suddenly came to her mind. She looked at the fire burning in the fireplace, lingering for a while on her wonderings concerning what he might be doing at the moment. And if she ever crossed his thoughts, eventhough she didn't want to admit that she thought about such things.  
Suddenly, the bright flames turned into a glowing shade of green with a quiet crackle.  
A short moment later there was a significantly louder poof as a woman clad in a simple, yet elegant beige dress and matching jacket stepped out of them.  
'Oh, I see you managed to get a hold of that essay I told you about!' Matilda chirped cheerfully, effortlessly tossing her stylish hat onto the top of the coat hanger standing in the corner of her office.  
The coat hanger, or Albert as it was called, bowed towards her upon receiving it.  
'Yes, but I have no idea what it says.' Cassie said, staring into the distance.  
Matilda picked up one of the parchments from the floor, her eyes skimming through the text with immense concentration.  
'Then I will just have to call in a favour from Adriana down at The Beast Division, she has a knack for this kind of stuff.' she mumbled absentmindedly before drawing her wand.  
After giving it a graceful wave, the parchments immediately stacked themselves neatly on top of one another as a painting moved to the right, the bearded man in it almost falling from his chair at the unexpected stir.  
Then, the secretary pointed her wand towards it and the pile instantly floated into the opening that had now appeared on the wall. As soon as it had entered, the painting moved back to its original place and hid any traces of the opening and its content.  
Matilda sighed contently, falling into her leather armchair before kicking of her beige, high heeled boots.  
'How did the meeting at Gringotts go?' Cassie asked , returning to the present.

'Oh, quite well actually. For a goblin, I think it is fair to say that Gorgrod finds me slightly more tolerable than the average witch or wizard.' the secretary answered with a proud smile on her red lips, playing with one of her pearl earrings. 'You see, one of his relatives worked at the bank during the time of the Rune Master's break-ins.' she continued, watching her toes wiggle.  
'He told me that Neil's motives for his crimes had earned him a few friends within the walls of Gringotts. Whether they helped him in his quest and if so, in what way, he did not know. However, he did mention that one goblin was apparently fired for having looked the other way when Mr Parker decided to drop by a fourth time.'  
Cassie's forehead wrinkled as a grave expression appeared on her heart-shaped face. Her great great grandfather seemed to become more and more of a riddle the more they found out about the man, which was intriguing and infuriating at the same time.  
The witches locked eyes, looking contemplatively at eachother as if discussing the matter without speaking aloud.  
'How about you, made any progress?' Matilda asked after a long silence, summoning a silver kettle.  
'Some.' Cassie began as she folded up the sleeves of her chequered shirt to just above her elbows. 'Thanks to the book _A thousand interesting ruins and where to find them_, I have narrowed the possible ruins in Peru where he might've hidden one the items, down to three.' she said mundanely, helping herself to a cup of coffee. 'I know it's not much, but atleast we won't have to search through the entire country for the right ruin, or any ruin at all for that matter.'  
Matilda put her hands together with a clap. 'Excellent!' she exclaimed as she looked towards the entrance to her office. 'Before I went to Gringotts, I stopped by the Minister for Magic in order to discuss my temporary leave. So I am as of now officially off duty until July.'  
Cassie almost choked on her coffee upon the announcement.  
'I almost forgot!' the witch blurted after putting the cup on the desk. 'I haven't asked my boss about it yet.' she sighed, wondering how her he would react to the request.  
Her performance at work had lately, to say the least, been uneven.  
'Oh, do not worry about Rodolphus.' Matilda chuckled. 'I personally wrote and sent him a letter yesterday, explaining it all. I might have emphasised the importance of our little mission, but I do not see how that would do any harm.'  
Cassie smiled as a gush of gratefulness towards the secretary came upon her. 'Thank you.'

A number of books jumped out from their place on a shelf by the door and landed on the middle of the desk at the flick of Matilda's wand. They each picked a copy of _110 surprising uses of frog saliva_ for no apparent reason.  
Cassie resumed sipping on her coffee every now and again, whilst Matilda summoned a pair of round glasses with thick frames in a bright shade of red.  
The two women began to read, the only sound piercing the comfortable silence coming from the occasional quiet crackles of the fire.  
'Oh, that reminds me.' Matilda suddenly gasped, peering over the edge of her book with widened eyes.  
She looked towards the portrait of the bearded man, giving him a swift nod. 'You know what to do.' she said gravely, watching him rise from his seat and disappear into the black background.

A couple of moments passed before he returned to his portrait, nodding back at her before sitting down again. No more than a split-second later, Benedict opened the door hastily, catching his breath. He took out a tissue from the chest pocket of his jacket, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Then, he inhaled deeply and took a few, quick steps forward. 'Madam?'  
Matilda lifted her glasses, letting them rest on the top of her head as she looked at him.  
'Benedict,' she began with a low voice. 'It so happens that I, in a couple of days will travel abroad with Miss Parker here for a longer period of time. That being said, I have ordered a temporary leave from my duties as High Secretary. Whilst I am away, there is no way this desk can be left unattended, however. So therefore I want you to take over for me in the mean time.' the secretary explained, putting her glasses back on before once again turning her attention towards the book in her hands.  
Benedict cleared his throat, blinking rapidly. 'M-madam?' he stammered, clearly surprised by the order.  
The secretary looked up, raising an eyebrow. 'Hold the fort, keep the hippogriffs fed, man the boundaries, you know.' she said casually, her gaze returning to the open page.  
The man looked completely flabbergasted, his cheeks turning pink. 'I,' he began, seemingly lost for words. 'Of course, Madam.' he said shortly, giving a quick bow before exiting the office quickly.

However, the enjoyable silence that once again fell upon the two witches was short lived. No more than a few minutes later, there were two sharp raps on the door. Matilda didn't even bother looking up, too fascinated by a chapter concerning the application of frog saliva on various wounds.  
'Come in.' she said drearily, barely aware of her words.  
As the door opened, neither of them felt at all obligated to see who was about to enter. But as the sound of boots hitting the black floor tiles filled the office, the secretary closed the book with a sigh before returning to the present.  
'Ah, Mr Scabior!' she exclaimed merrily, flinging her legs up on the desk.

Cassie momentarily froze at the uttering, a familiar jolt running through her body as she stared intensively at the bottom of the page, reading the words _"and thus gives it its toxic shade of green_" over and over again. After a few seconds, she had gained enough courage to turn her head around and look at the man.  
They locked eyes, staring at eachother blankly as he stopped in his tracks. Instantly she rose from her seat, letting the book slide out of her grip. It landed on the floor with a loud bang but neither of them flinched. It was as if they were statues, incapable of moving as much as an inch. For a moment, it almost felt impossible to breathe.  
'Hi.' she suddenly blurted with a slightly lighter voice than usual, shocking both of them.  
Scabior's jaw clenched as his gaze briefly travelled down her body.  
'Afternoon.' he mumbled absentmindedly after once again making eye-contact.  
'What can I do for you today?' Matilda smirked, looking at them mischievously.  
Her question, it seemed, had managed to bring them back to reality. Looking away from one another, they sat down after the secretary summoned a second chair.

'I've tracked down Bill.' Scabior answered with a low voice.  
No matter how hard he tried to focus on the conversation, he couldn't keep himself from glancing at Cassie every other second. She on the other hand, had her gaze fixed on one of the books on the desk, her fingers softly drumming against the edge of her seat. He wondered what she was thinking about and above all why she was in Matilda's office reading about the benefits of frog saliva.  
'Splendid.' Matilda said merrily, taking off her glasses once more. 'And where has he been hiding all this time?'  
He inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the blond-haired woman beside him by seeking eye-contact with Matilda instead.  
'Scotland, in an abandoned warehouse in Glasgow.' he answered, unable to even have the slightest of interest in reporting the current status of his latest mission.  
Quite frankly, he was sick and tired of running errands for the Ministry. The lack of payment and the fact that he spent half of his working hours duelling didn't exactly brighten his mood. But the fear of getting sent back to Azkaban was ever-present, constantly reminding him of the risks of disobeying his orders. But as the weeks continued, he had begun to wonder whether the life he was currently leading really was much different from a life locked away in a tiny cell.  
He was still, in many ways imprisoned.  
Yet again, Scabior found himself casting fleeting looks towards Cassie. Still, her bright-green eyes persisted on staring at the book. He thought back on their latest run-in, replaying the scene in his mind. It was clear that his cold words had affected her, probably more than it had affected him to even utter them.

'Wonderful, I will alert the aurors straight away.' Matilda said, smiling widely as she rose from her seat. 'Oh, and by the way.' she began, heading for the door. 'In a couple of days, Cassie and I will embark on a journey. We will travel abroad in an attempt to find all of the items stolen by the Rune Master. Naturally, during this time I will not be available and therefore, my assistant Benedict will be handling your missions for a while now.' she explained excitedly before twisting the knob and disappearing into the crowed corridor.  
Scabior turned his head towards Cassie. He envied her freedom, desiring nothing more than to be able to make his own decisions instead of being a puppet for the Ministry. However, the jealousy he felt was for some reason overshadowed by annoyance. He could feel his pent up aggravation against the Ministry direct itself at the only person in the room, who also happened to be the one that least deserved it. But there was also a nagging feeling that tugged at his emotions at the thought of her leaving.  
'I see you've been busy lately.' he said bluntly, watching her slowly return his gaze.  
'Yes,' she answered, somewhat taken aback by the tone in his voice.  
They finally locked eyes completely. But almost instantly, he broke the contact, pinching his chin as he stared at his boots.  
Scabior sighed, feeling her observing him intently. 'So you're just gonna leave the country now then?' he muttered, his fingers drumming against his knees.  
Cassie looked at him in disbelief, wondering why he appeared to be so angry with her. She huffed as she thought back on how their last encounter had ended. 'Like you care.'  
At this he shot her a hostile glance before focusing on his boots again. She shook her head at his reaction, shrugging as if trying to get an explanation for his sudden anger without asking him. 'It's not like you're in London all of the time anyway.'  
A cold silence fell upon them, sparking with unspoken irritation. After a while Scabior looked up at her again, his jaw clenching as they glared at eachother.  
'It ain't exactly my choice.' he snapped.  
She tilted her head, an incredulous expression crossing her face. 'Well then, perhaps you shouldn't have broken the law in the first place if your life isn't the way you wanted it to be. You have nobody to blame but yourself.'  
He scowled as she spoke, refusing to see the logic in her reasoning.  
'Bullocks. Nobody to blame but myself?' he asked as the staring contest continued. 'Well, correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you the one who managed to get me into all of this secret agent crap to begin with?'

'_Me_?' Cassie scoffed, the frustration feeling like a burning fire beneath her skin. 'Don't you dare blame your situation on me!' she growled. 'It's certainly not my fault that we keep bumping in to one another.'  
Simultaneously they stood up, almost knocking over their chairs by the sheer force of the quick motion.  
'It's not mine either.' Scabior retorted angrily, drawing his wand instinctively. 'You're the stubborn one, you're the one who's incapable of watching anything transpire without interfering all the time. If you hadn't-'  
'If I hadn't what, you egotistic bastard? If I hadn't chased after you and taken back what I thought was rightfully mine?' she interrupted, taking a step closer as her fists clenched. 'Because the world would function so much better if everyone just did what they saw fit, only worried about saving their own skin and not caring about the others that they share this earth with? Just ignoring their responsibilities to sometimes step in and do something? If everyone was like you? Sure, that would work out perfectly fine wouldn't it?' Cassie hissed, noticing his raised wand.  
'You chased me down because I'd taken something from you. Who's the egotistic one you lunatic? Would you 'ave done the same if I'd 'ave stolen the necklace from someone who was a complete stranger to you?' he questioned with a raised voice.  
She nodded. 'Yes, I actually would have!' she yelled as they at the same time pointed their wands at eachothers' chests. 'I saved your life back at the battle of Hogwarts didn't I? And instead of running away when Samantha and her friends chased after me, I actually returned to help you!'  
With that said, the argument had come to the point where they both had lost track of what they were actually arguing about. Still aiming their wands at one another they argued with raised voices, constantly interrupting eachother, making it impossible to make out anything reasonable at all.

* * *

'Perhaps you should've just let me fall if you regret it so much!' Scabior said through gritted teeth, throwing his wand onto the ground with gruesome force.  
Cassie watched it hit the floor before once again looking into his grey eyes.  
'Perhaps I should have.' she muttered, panting from the adrenalin running through her body.  
He snarled as she took a few steps back.  
She rubbed her face with her hands, closing her eyes momentarily. 'Merlin, you're confusing.' she groaned infuriately. 'You confuse me so much that I can't even think straight when I'm within a five foot radius of you!'  
He watched her attentively, pacing back and forth across the office. 'That would explain why nearly every decision you make when we're together ends in complete disaster! But wait, some'ow you manage to get yourself into all kinds of trouble even when I ain't there.'  
'Go ahead then, hex me if that's what you want to do! You can use mine if you want, feel free!' she yelled, throwing her wand at him with all the strength she could muster. 'It's not like you've never taken it before!'  
Scabior watched it roll a few feet from the place it had landed and stop close to his own wand.  
'As I recall it, you dropped it all by yourself, you blabbering maniac.' he muttered as they locked eyes once more.  
Cassie sighed, redoing her ponytail just for the sake of doing something other than yelling. 'You think I am a complete idiot don't you?' she asked, lowering her voice significantly. 'That's why you wanted me to leave that night at the Necromancer's, isn't it?' she asked, smiling sombrely, a smile that instantly managed to tug at his guilt immensely. 'Can't you for once, just once, clarify for me exactly what you really think?'

The way she said it made it clear that the argument was coming to an end. Although he was far from sure from knowing what would happen once it did.  
He took a deep breath, dragging the silence out as long as possible. 'Of course I think you're an idiot, Cass.' he said calmly. 'You risk everything for the sake of a necklace an' save my life twice eventhough from your point of view I far from deserved it. Who wouldn't think you're an idiot?'  
Something shifted in her eyes as he finished his sentence and her hands opened again, hanging limply down the sides of her body as they continued to stare at eachother.  
It was as if it was impossible for either of them to come up with something to say after their heated rambling.  
After a short moment she looked away, taking a deep breath before heading for the door. It closed behind her with a loud slam.  
Stunned by her abrupt leaving, he stared at the entrance in pure shock. It suddenly felt as though they were back at the cottage right after the battle of Hogwarts. Scabior shot a glance at the floor, picking up her wand before staring at the door again.  
He felt exhausted, all of the frustration that had been held in completely gone. All that was left was a strange feeling he couldn't recognize or describe. A feeling that made it impossible for him to look away from the lavish entrance.

The knob suddenly began to turn. Slowly, the door opened as Cassie walked into the office again, staring at her sneakers. He instantly walked towards her, keen on trying to remedy some of the misinterpretations and explain what had actually happened that night at the pub.  
As they stopped, mere inches from eachother, Cassie finally looked up at him. For once he could read her expression perfectly. She instantly fixed her empty gaze on his jawline, refusing to make eye-contact.  
Scabior slowly raised his hand, brushing strands of her blond hair back behind her ear. She winced faintly at the move, taking a small step back. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by the closing of her eyes.  
'That little moment after the hearing was supposed to be the last time we ever saw eachother.' she whispered frailly, as if struggling to keep her voice levelled.  
There was a short pause, in which he did nothing but wait and listen.  
'But then,' Cassie began, inhaling deeply before continuing. 'you just pop up out of nowhere, on Christmas Eve no less.'  
She let out a humourless chuckle as she opened her eyes again. 'And I, I-' she stopped herself, clenching her jaw briefly. 'I don't know, I just felt incredibly happy to see you again. And you just, you just sat there with that stupid look on your face and told me to leave. And it was painful to hear because I'd missed you so, much.'  
A moment of silence passed as they stared at eachother blankly. Cassie sighed agitatedly, looking at everything in the office besides him.  
'It just boggles my mind, because before that blasted hearing of yours, I thought there were moments, that there were times when we- that there was some kind of-' she stopped herself again, finally daring to lock eyes. 'But I was obviously wrong, wasn't I? Hardly a surprise to you though, since you think I'm such an idiot anyway.'  
Cassie stepped forward, once again standing close him. She looked at her wand, currently held in his right hand.  
'Give it back.' she muttered angrily, shooting him a hostile glare. 'Don't drag this out any longer.'  
Scabior didn't obey. Instead he tightened his hold around it as she tried to take it from him. Her upper lip curled.  
'Give me my wand!' she snarled, refusing to give up.  
He knew she would leave once her wand was back in her own hands. She would walk out the door and never return. The thought sent an aching sting through his body. He needed her to stay. Cassie glared at him with narrowed eyes, momentarily stopping in her attempts to get her wand back.  
'You don't get to do things like this, you don't have the right.' she said fumingly. 'You don't get to taunt me like this as if you just own everything. You don't get to keep me here any longer.' she continued, an expression of increasing irritation on her face. 'And stop looking at me like that!'

Almost instantly, Scabior dropped the stick of wood to the floor and took a hold of her shoulders. She squirmed, trying to escape as he tried to make eye-contact.  
'Listen.' he ushered calmly as she continued to struggle. 'Listen!'  
The growling tone in his voice caused her to immediately stop, her bright-green eyes finally looking at him.  
'I was on a mission that night at the pub. I couldn't tell you 'bout it because there were two bloody aurors watching my every move. One of 'em was about to walk over to you and tell you to leave an' I didn't want to cause you any trouble so I did it myself.'  
Cassie shook her head, watching him with an incredulous expression.  
'Don't you realize that it hurt more coming from you?' she asked with a trembling voice, looking away again.  
Her words seemed to scratch and claw at every inch of Scabior's body.  
'Cassie,' he whispered, reaching out for her as she hid her face behind her hands and backed away.  
He gently pulled her into his embrace, staring absentmindedly at the wand laying at his feet. She didn't move, not in any way responding to his hug. But she didn't try to push him away either, which reassured him enough not to let go of her.  
'I'm sorry.' he said with a low voice, resting his chin against the top of her head. 'I'm sorry, Cass.'  
It didn't take more than a few seconds before she slowly began to raise her arms, eventually wrapping them around his waist and returning the embrace. The warmth and softness of it made him smile, one of his hands caressing her neck as he momentarily closed his eyes.

The door suddenly burst open, which caused them to instinctively jump away from eachother out of pure shock.  
'I have changed my mind, Mr Scabior!' Matilda beamed as she walked into the office with quick steps, sitting down at her desk. 'You are coming with us.' she said with a smirk playing on her lips as she took up her copy of_ 110 surprising uses of frog saliva_ and opened it to the page she had been reading. 'However, there is one tiny little mission you must carry out before joining the cause. You can talk to someone down at the Auror Office for further details. After you are done with that, come and see Benedict here in my office. He will tell you exactly where to go.' she explained, reaching for her glasses.  
When there wasn't any reaction, the secretary shot him a glance.  
'And with can talk to someone, I mean now.' she said with a low voice, whereupon he immediately headed for the door.

Just as his hand touched the gilded knob Scabior turned around on the spot, walking towards Cassie. He stopped a couple of feet away from her, looking at her with a concentrated expression on his face.  
'Don't,' he began, nearly panting as though he had just been running.  
He stepped forward, momentarily halting as if hesitating before placing his hands on her cheeks and looking into her eyes. 'don't get yourself killed before I get there will you?' he asked, sounding deeply concerned.  
Cassie blinked, slightly shocked by his question and the unfamiliar tone in his voice.  
'I'll try.' she responded faintly, not knowing what else to say.  
Scabior nodded hastily, looking somewhat confused by his own actions for some reason.  
'Good.' he said lowly, continuing to stare at the baffled witch intently as he briefly leaned his forehead against hers before letting go of her.  
He headed towards the exit, his gaze lingering on her as he reached for the handle.

As soon as the door had closed behind him, Matilda took off her glasses, removed her feet from the desk and put the book away. 'Let us get this show on the road then.'

* * *

Author's note: Aaaand, that was that folks! The last chapter. :)  
I hope it was to your liking and that it was a good ending, I tried my very best! It might've been a tad fluffy at the end but I just couldn't help myself. And I'd love to know what you think about it so if you want, please review! ^^


	25. Author's note

As the chapter title suggests, this is an author's note! :)

I just want to announce that I might write a continuation-story to this one, because I had sort of an epifany the other day regarding the potential plot of said continuation-story. So, basically I just wanted to put that out there for anyone who could consider reading further. ^^

However, it'll take some time to put together something. If I am to continue the story, that is. And if I do decide to do that I'll put it up as a seperate story of course!

And I want to thank those of you who have taken time to read my story, it really means a lot! :)


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